PENARTH Times is teaming up with the Marie Curie, Cardiff and Vale hospice this Christmas, to help make Christmas Day for their residents an occasion to savour.

For many of us, spending time with friends and family over Christmas is something we take for granted. It’s a time for celebration, reflection and making plans for the coming year.

Christmas at the Marie Curie, Cardiff and the Vale hospice is an equally special time.

For those who spend it at the hospice, which provides round the clock expert care and support to those living with terminal illness and their families, every moment is precious.

From serving Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, to organising family parties, Marie Curie does everything possible to make Christmas a joyful occasion for patients who are unable to spend it at home.

This year, the charity is calling on Penarth Times readers to continue their fantastic support by paying for Christmas Day.

The cost to Marie Curie of 24 hours of care at the hospice totals £6,660 in Penarth – which the charity wants Penarth Times readers to raise for us in time for Christmas Day.

Additionally, if 11 other special supporters can sign up for the Pay for a Day donation, we will raise enough to pay for the 12 days of Christmas at the hospice.

On your named day, the charity will acknowledge your support with a special certificate of thanks on display in the hospice reception, on the Marie Curie website and on social media, while donors will also be invited to visit the hospice with colleagues, family or friends over the Christmas season if they wish.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Marie Curie will be sharing some of their most precious Christmas stories.

The first Pay for a Day donation the hospice received was in July this year, when Howell’s School reached their target before the end of the school year.

The school, in Llandaff, had signed up after attending the Pay for a Day launch the previous summer and were inspired by the stories of care they heard while at the hospice.

Paula Elson, hospice manager, said: “Christmas is a particularly poignant time for many of our patients and their families, but we try to involve them as much as we can in the Christmas celebrations.

“Funds donated through our Pay for a Day scheme help us to continue providing care and support to those patients and their families, especially at what can be an important time of year for them and their loved ones.”

To donate, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/penarthtimespayforxmasday or call the fundraising team at the hospice on 02920 426072 and ask about donating to the campaign.