THE Longhouse was presented with a cheque for £4350 from Holsworthy Rotary Club last week to help buy specialised equipment.

The cheque was presented to Kevin Underwood, chairman of the Trustees of North Devon Hospice, by Ray Hockin, at a Rotary Club meeting — he made the Longhouse Appeal his charity of choice for his presidential year 2014-15.

The presentation was the second occasion on which the Rotary Club has been able to provide funds, now totalling £4,350, to the hospice.

The money has assisted the staff and volunteers at the new facility, adjacent to the medical centre, to purchase specialist equipment that will enhance the services they provide.

The funds include £750 from a district grant donated by the Rotary Foundation.

Since opening in September this year, more than 200 supportive sessions have been provided at the Longhouse and the average rate of new referrals from local GPs is almost one patient per day.

There have already been more than 50 sessions of complementary therapy provided from the Longhouse.

These relaxing treatments, close to their homes, make a real difference to patients and carers. Previously, the strenuous two-hour round trip to the main hospice site at Barnstaple would have largely undone the beneficial effects of such treatments.

Three family workshops have also been hosted at the Longhouse to help patients and family members cope with the difficulties that come with life-limiting illnesses.

Other forms of support include one-to-one counselling; bereavement support; group support sessions; family drop-in-days; and appointments with hospice community nurses.