A MAJOR Herefordshire charity is changing its name.

The trustees and members of The Freda Pearce Foundation Nurses Fund for St Michael's Hospice have voted unanimously to change the name to The Eric Bayliss Nurses Fund for St Michael's Hospice.

The change will overcome the confusion that has been occurring due to to both charities (the Nurses Fund and the Hospice) using The Freda Pearce Foundation in their titles.

Selecting a new title for the Nurses Fund was simple and automatic because Eric has been its secretary, fundraiser and organiser for the past 28 years.

Although he suffered a severe stroke a year ago, he is still the hub of a large network of whist drives, crib competitions, bingo, coffee mornings and many other fundraising activities.

Using Eric's name not only pays tribute to his remarkable and highly succesful fundraising but also shows the fund's grateful appreciation to all the organisers, helpers and supporters who collectively make up this support network.

Currently, the Eric Bayliss Nurses Fund donates by direct debit £1,250 per month to St Michael's Hospice (specifically towards a nurse's salary). This monthly contribution is guaranteed for three years in advance and the charity maintains a capital sum of at least £45,000 to meet this guarantee.

Thus, should fundraising close at a future date, the hospice management will have at least three years in which to replace this significant income.

Future plans are ambitious. Every effort is to be made to increase the present capital fund of more than £70,000, to £350,000. Should such an increase be achieved, it will enable the existing three years guarantee to be extended to indefinitely'.

Eric Bayliss was born 82 years ago in Little Hope, Ullingswick, and his first recorded fundraising, while still a schoolboy at Hereford High School, was for the Hereford Times Spitfire Fund.

Since then, he has raised many hundreds of thousands of pounds for various charities including of course, the Nurses Fund. He is very well known in Herefordshire and the surrounding counties for his work with Chadds and since retiring in 1990 has devoted his life to charitable work.

For more information contact Kerry Fone, vice-chairman, on 01432 351585.