BURY Hospice is set to benefit from a major national fundraising drive.

Help the Hospices has been named as Lloyds TSB's Charity of the Year for 2003 -- and Bury's hospice in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe, has been chosen.

The charity won the partnership after Lloyds TSB Group staff voted it the cause they most wanted to support. It is hoped nationally to raise up to £750,000 through the year-long campaign -- locally Bury will share proceeds with a children's hospice in Manchester.

The agreement builds on the hospice's previous partnerships with companies such as British Aerospace and Sainsbury's and shows that the hospice movement is an increasingly popular partner for companies to work with.

Bury Hospice's fundraising manager Mervyn Reeves said: "To say that we are delighted would be an understatement.

"We are a small, local independent charity which needs all the help we can get, particularly from the corporate sector. Being in partnership with a group like Lloyds TSB demonstrates that Bury Hospice is ready and able to work with companies both large and small. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead."

John Spence, director of retail distribution at Lloyds TSB, said: "There's no doubt that it takes resources, energy and commitment to run this kind of far-reaching corporate-charity partnership, but we believe it's an important way of demonstrating both responsible business practice and investment in the communities we serve.

"Hospices provide a vital service to our communities, caring for seriously ill people and their families completely free of charge, and they rely on charitable fundraising in order to do so. We are proud to be supporting them and look forward to reaching our biggest fundraising target ever."

Bury Hospice needs to raise around £800,000 a year.