VALENTINE'S Day is a time of year dedicated to expressing your love, affection and appreciation for those around you who you adore.

While the day is largely centred on the love that romantic couples have for each other, it has now become more about celebrating all kinds of love. So this year, we are asking people in our community to share the love they have for Bury Hospice.

Our 'I love Bury Hospice' campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the care we provide to our patients and their families.

It will cost £3.5m this year just to keep the hospice running and as a charity we have to raise nearly £3m of this ourselves.

We couldn’t offer the care and support we do without the continued support and love from our local community.

Throughout this week, we have been sharing stories on our social media channels about why people love the hospice and the positive impact it has had on their lives.

One of these stories was from Edrina Jones, who is a volunteer at our Prestwich shop.

Edrina shared her heart-warming story on Valentine’s Day. Last year Edrina braved extreme heights as she undertook a tandem parachute jump, which she organised as a fundraiser for the hospice in memory of her late dad, Edward Jones, who died four years ago.

He was fond of his day trips to the hospice during the 11 years he battled multiple myeloma. Edrina performed the jump with Black Knights Parachute Centre in Lancaster, supported by family and friends, including her mum. Edrina raised an incredible £5,700 for the hospice.

Edrina said: “I can’t wait to put my hearts on Bury Hospice’s memorial wall in my dad’s honour. I’ve decided to sign up for this year’s Strictly Best Foot Forward contest, I’m so excited.”

It is community fundraisers like these we urge people to support. Community fundraising is invaluable but there are many ways you can show your love to Bury Hospice this month.

Sign up for a fundraising event like our upcoming Forget-Me-Not Memory Walk, set up a regular monthly donation or donate in memory of a loved one, sign up to our weekly lottery from just £1 a week or volunteer at the hospice or one of our charity shops. You can share the love on social media using #ILoveBuryHospice.

For more details visit www.buryhospice.org.uk/how-you-can-help online or call 0161 725 9800.