WHOEVER is successful as a result of tomorrow’s voting let’s hope they value Bolton Hospice as much as most of its townspeople do.

Its chief executive, Dr Leigh Vallance, asked all the candidates vying for places to champion the cause of the Hospice and ensure it receives enough funding to keep helping people through debilitating illnesses.

We can only hope they do because the Hospice is vital to our town. Last year it cared for 174 inpatients, 103 new day therapy patients, 286 patients through out-patient clinics and 154 patients in their own homes. We just cannot do without it.