A £5,500 charitable donation from the Guardian will help support people who need vital care at a Hastingwood hospice.

Epping Forest reporter David Eggboro visited St Clare Hospice yesterday to hand over the cheque to delighted staff, who will use it to pay for extra syringe drivers, which enable patients to be medicated more comfortably and efficiently without the need for regular injections or tablets.

The cash comes from the Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the Guardian’s parent company, which provides grants to worthy community groups.

David said: “I am delighted to be able to hand over this money to St Clare, who provide an invaluable service to the local community.

“The staff at the hospice work tirelessly to provide care for some of the most vulnerable members of our community and we are very happy to help them."

The hospice, in Hastingwood Road, is currently undergoing a renovation, funded by an NHS grant, which will allow staff to provide a wider range of treatments and more space for its users.

New kitchen facilities will be built geared around patients and their families so they can get used to how they might cope when they return home.

Around 40 per cent of patients using the centre return home and many of the improvements being made are led by the user involvement forum made up of former patients and their families.

Louise Cameron, director of patient care, said: “It’s vital that we are able to support people who need end-of-life care.

“We are specialists in that sort of care and it’s important to try to offer it to all those who need it.

“We rely heavily on voluntary funding and the Gannett grant and NHS funding has helped us improve our patients' care.

“The renovation will enable us to accommodate more day care users and offer all patients far more treatments.

“We can also work in partnerships with other organisations such as Age Concern who could use the new spaces.”

The work is set to be complete by March.