HOSPICE staff are celebrating after being awarded the money to open a full-time care unit at St Teresa's Hospice in Darlington.

Darlington Primary Care Trust will give £100,000 a year to the hospice for at least two years.

Along with match-funding from Marie Curie Cancer Care the hospice has enough money to open a six-bed care unit in Woodland Road.

A campaign called Giving For Life, supported by The Northern Echo, was launched in 2002 to raise £250,000 to open, equip and run the centre. The unit will mean people will get 24-hour hospice care for the first time.

Medical director Dr Trevor Birnie said: "This is a real partnership that will mean the hospice can offer a great new service. The money will be ring-fenced for a few years and after that it will go into the main pot but we are confident we will continue to get the funding.

"Although we have had a lot of support from the public and businesses to help to raise the hospice's contribution to this new unit, the fund-raising has to continue.

"The running costs will have to be paid each year and money is still needed to keep the day care centre open."

Among the people celebrating was Meg Niven, the widow of Darlington architect Rob, who gave his support to the campaign just days before he died of liver cancer.

Mr Niven received day care treatment at the hospice and his family were shocked to find that if he had not had the hospice support he would not have been able to be at home with his family when he died.

Mrs Niven said: "So many people have spent so much time over so many years to make this happen, it was something that started long before Rob joined the campaign.

The hospice has been adopted by the Darlington branch of Lloyds TSB as its charity for the year.

It is hoped that the new unit will be open just after Easter.

To contribute to the fund raising please telephone the hospice on (01325) 254321.