EAST Lancashire Hospice has been forced to close one of its inpatient rooms due to its leaky roof.

Heavy rain caused water to drip into the occupied room on Sunday.

The roof of the hospice in Park Lee Road, Blackburn has fallen into disrepair after nearly three decades of wear and tear.

The Lancashire Telegraph launched the Raise the Roof appeal in March this year, which aims to raise £125,000 to build a new roof over the inpatients unit.

The campaign has already reached the half way mark of £67,000.

But hospice bosses believe it is now more urgent than ever that the remaining money is found before prolonged wet weather begins.

Sharon Crymble, East Lancashire Hospice’s fundraising manager, said: “The rain was really bad on Sunday morning and we noticed water was coming through into one of the inpatient rooms.

“We closed the room until we had sorted it out.

“We’re now in the process of patching it up to try and repair the damage on a temporary basis, but it’s made it apparent that we need to replace the roof sooner than we thought.

“There was a patient in the room at the time and they were moved to another room. It means we have slightly less capacity.

“If we get more bad weather, as expected over winter, we don’t want it to affect our services.”

It is crucial that any money used to buy a new roof does not come from funds allocated to patient care.

The hospice already needs to raise approximately £2.8 million each year to continue supporting people in Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley who have terminal and life-threatening diseases.

The hospice needs more people to organise fundraising events and is also looking for the support of local businesses to help it reach its goal.

Sharon said: “What people have done for us up to now has been brilliant and we have been really pleased with their generosity.

“But obviously the bad weather at the weekend has shown just how vital this work is and that we need the roof replacing as quickly as possible.”

You can donate to the Raise the Roof appeal by contacting Sharon in the hospice’s fundraising department on 01254 733410.