Help us reach £3 million in celebration of Leeds hospices' 40th birthdays

St Gemma’s Hospice in Moortown and Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice in Headingley have been caring for tens of thousands of Leeds patients and supporting their families for four decades.

To celebrate the impressive milestone, we want to give them a funding boost through our Half and Half appeal – which is believed to be the longest-running newspaper charity campaign in the country.

Celebrating 40 years of crucial care in Leeds

All funds raised through the Half and Half appeal are shared equally between the two hospices, where staff have collectively cared for a total of 90,000 of the city’s residents since they opened in 1978.

Since it was launched in 1982, our appeal has raised a staggering £2,981,575.21. Now we want to give a final push to reach the magic £3m mark – and what better way to honour and thank our two hospices?

Over the coming days, the Yorkshire Evening Post will be running a series of stories about the city institutions focusing on their history, wonderful achievements and stories of long-term members of staff who have seen the hospices evolve over the decades.

We will also be bringing you 40 different ways to raise funds for the hospices in their key landmark year.

With just over £18,000 to go to reach £3m – we are urging you, our readers, to join us in paying tribute to these two wonderful hospices which have touched the lives of so many people in our city.