A couple who lost their 34-year-old daughter said any “cuts at all” to Bolton Hospice would be “devastating” to families like theirs.

David and Mary Hazell say they “knew it was coming to an end", for their daughter Natalie when Macmillan doctors spoke to them.

Natalie died on August 24 last year.

David said: “The hospice doctor was good with us.

“There were quite a lot of helpers who were good to us as well.

“They all knew her, one of them was doing singing with her.

“We used to go home for a bit, and come back, and there was always someone in the room with her.”

Mary says that having the hospice is extremely important for people like their daughter when they have to endure endless amounts of pain.

She said: “They’re not just a nurse, they become a family.

“Because my baby was dying in there, I sponsor a nurse now to fund them in the hospice.

“We try to help them the best we can because they were there for my baby.

“We have no money, but we buy bits and bats, and put it together to make hampers up, so they can go and auction them off.

“They need the money.”

Mary says that she wants to help the hospice because it’s the “last contact” she had with her daughter, and she feels as though she is connected to her through the cause.

David added: “They know us by name and treat us like family.”

Mary said: “But they’ve got their work cut out, because my baby was screaming out in pain, and not just that, but other people are screaming out in pain and they’re all there for them, so they do need support.”

Part of the support offered includes a bereavement walk to get people to talk about their experiences and the reality of losing someone or watching someone go through end-of-life care.

The hospice offers a number of different bereavement services including one to one support, a number of group activities which take place at various times to accommodate people’s lives

Bereavement lead John Hall said: “I think for many families who’ve got a loved one whose receiving care from the hospice, if they have never had any encounter with the hospice before, they’re quite pleasantly surprised with the environment, and with the calmness and the peacefulness of the place, and the friendliness.

“People can also feel more relaxed when they have conversations walking side by side on short walks around Bolton and a chat, coffee, and a piece of cake.

“Clearly finances are a concern because all of it requires resources, for places to be available, to be run well, for the environment to be in a good state that we can meet.”

John explained that if they had to cut the hours of the bereavement spiritual care support or any services, it would be “very damaging” to people’s experience.

The Volunteer pub will also be helping raise money for the hospice on November 11, with staff shaving their heads.

Anyone interested in supporting the cause should contact the pub or fill in a sponsor form there.

The Bolton News recently launched its 'Save Bolton Hospice' campaign to help reduce the deficit, aiming to raise an initial £100,000.

The money is vital or the hospice faces making cuts.

To support the appeal, visit www.gofundme.com/f/Bolton-News-Bolton-Hospice-appeal.

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine.