RELATIVES remembered their lost loved ones as they helped “Light up a Life” at East Lancashire Hospice yesterday.

The fundraising event, where people are invited to make a donation to help ‘light up’ a patient’s life, is believed to have raised more than £35,000 so far.

This year, as part of the hospice’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the finale of the appeal was marked by a special anniversary service within the grounds in Park Lee Road.

Onlookers enjoyed performances from a children’s choir and a lone piper and a firework display, before counting down to the switch-on of lights on trees and the hospice building.

Eileen Robinson, 64, of Pleckgate, attended the service to reflect on the life of her husband Raymond Robinson, who died from cancer at the hospice five years ago.

She said: “I couldn’t think of a better place for him to have died.

"The area, the hospice itself, the atmosphere, the care of the nurses and the doctors, everything.

"It’s so tranquil, and nothing like a hospital environment.”

Rebecca Beaton, hospice director of finance and support services, said: “We wanted to do something a bit different for our 25th anniversary so rather than us go out to the community we wanted to bring people here to show them who we are and what we do.

“We have lit up a tree in the patient’s ward so patients currently in the hosp-ice and their families are involved too.”

* Today's 'Light up a Life' event was cancelled because of the weather.

The event was due to start at 3.30pm but has been postponed because of the heavy snow.

Organisers said they would be rescheduling the event and contacting people involved in due course.