BLACKBURN Rovers’ Shebby Singh vowed to support East Lancashire Hospice following an inspirational morning meeting staff and patients.

The team’s global adviser was guided around the facility’s therapy rooms, the critical wing, the family area and the garden.

Following the tour Mr Singh said: “I’ve been taken aback by the work done by the nurses and staff here, and the facilities are five star, it’s fantastic.

“I’m going to go back to the club, we are going to put our thinking caps on and see how we can help out in our own way.”

In the day therapy room, Mr Singh met Mac Macallister, a heart failure patient and Blackburn Rovers fan and promised him a match ticket in the Spring.

Mr Macallister, said: “It’s so nice of him to offer me a ticket, I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“I love going to games but I’m in a wheelchair now and its difficult to get to them in the bad weather.

“I’m happy he came to visit and see what a tremendous difference the place makes to us all.

“When you think of a hospice you think of death and despair, not like all the joy we have in here.”

It costs £3 million per year to run and maintain the hospice, and the charitable organisation have felt the impact of the recession. Sharon Crymble, fundraising manager at the hospice, said: “It’s getting hard to raise funds because no one’s got any money at the moment.

“People tend to presume that because we offer a free service, we are funded by the NHS, but we aren’t, and we need people’s support.

“We’ve seen other hospices get their funding cut and struggle badly and are concerned about what the future holds for us too.”