THE appeal to build a new children's hospice for the Three Counties has passed the £3 million milestone.

The Acorns Three Counties Appeal, which was publicly launched in April 2002 and backed by the Hereford Times, needs to raise £4 million to build and equip a state-of-the-art children's hospice near Worcester to be used by families who mainly live in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

At the charity's annual meeting, chief executive John Overton said: "I'm thrilled to announce that the Three Counties Appeal has now broken through the £3 million mark which gives us the confidence to consider tenders from five local builders to build the new hospice.

"Although we still have a £1 million to raise, the track record of goodwill and generosity from supporters in the Three Counties has given us confidence that we will hit our £4 million target in the next 12 months.

"We have been particularly delighted in the last couple of months by the support we have received from groups, individuals and businesses from across the region."

He added: "We are really excited to be considering these tenders and thinking about the bricks and mortar of the new hospice. We know families desperately need this new hospice and the local lifeline it will provide. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us to get to this point in the appeal and ask for your continued support to help us open and run this hospice."