MORE than £400 has been donated to a proposed children’s hospice thanks to Christmas shoppers in Bury.

Shoppers visiting the grotto in December at Bury’s Mill Gate shopping centre raised £448 for Grace’s Place in Radcliffe, which is expected to be a specialist hospice dedicated to providing palliative and end of life care for children from Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood.

The money was raised by the record number of Bury families who visited the grotto and paid for photographs with Father Christmas. Mill Gate’s management team decided to donate the money to a local children’s charity.

They chose Grace’s Place, which will be managed by a board of trustees in partnership with the Bury Hospice and Pennine Care NHS Trust.

Joan Grimshaw, chair of the trustees said: “This facility is much needed by children in our community who have life limiting illnesses and conditions.

“We know currently that more than 200 children are on waiting lists for the services Grace’s Place will provide so we are grateful for this very generous donation.”

Mill Gate manager Marie Gribben said: “Bury Hospice team do the most incredible job supporting the terminally ill and their families. We wanted to help out with the fundraising for Grace’s Place and hope they reach their target soon.”