A HOSPICE charity which last week suffered a £40,000 NHS funding cut has seen one of its pilot projects secure £142,000 in lottery funding.

But Tynedale Hospice at Home cannot directly benefit from the Big Lottery grant as the money is ring-fenced exclusively for The Rainbow Project.

It cares for bereaved children and their families in west Northumberland.

The charity, which administers care for terminally-ill patients in their own homes, launched Rainbow Project as a pilot scheme 18 months ago. It followed an initial adult bereavement service and has grown rapidly since.

Now, while the charity sets about urgent fundraising, the £142,373 grant will enable Rainbow Project to take on an extra part-time worker, set up a teenage group, and roll out free training to schools and community groups.

The news was greeted with delight by both organisations.

Christopher Elliot-Newman, chairman of the board of trustees of THH, said: “The board is delighted that the Rainbow Project has received national recognition by the award of this grant.

“When the board started the pilot project it was difficult to assess how great the demand would be.

“However, during that time it has become a well-established part of the services the Hospice can offer to our community.

“The challenge for the board is now to identify additional sources of revenue so that Tynedale Hospice at Home can respond to the increasing demand for our services.” THH started up in 1993 and provides end-of-life care through trained staff for people in west Northumberland.

In the last year, over 400 days in hospital were avoided, but pilot projects are time-limited on NHS funding and after two years the sum was cut by £70,000 this month, although core funding was increased by £30,000.

Rev Janet Jackson, Rainbow Project’s bereavement services co-ordinator, said: “As the lottery grant is ring-fenced, it cannot go to Tynedale Hospice at Home, which does give us great support.

“But it is a wonderful boost and will enable us to develop many things.

“The Rainbow Project is a service for the people and this is just amazingly good news. I was optimistic at the outset when we first applied for the lottery grant.

“But then when they said the sheer backlog of requests meant decisions had to be held back a month, that was a reality check.

“So to get it after all is truly wonderful.

“It will fund Rainbow Days – we hire St Mary’s Catholic School in Hexham – and it will enable us to bring in another part-time member of staff.

“We also want to establish a new teenage group.

“It has made everything secure. We have had a lot of demands on our service and this money will allow us to grow the service.”

Rev Jackson added: “We know from what the families tell us that children benefit hugely from coming together with other children.

“And once we have seen the changes that can happen to children from having the right sort of support, we see the children really grow.

“It sounds ever so twee, but it is like flowers as they begin to open up.”

We have had a lot of demands on our service and this money will allow us to grow