Residents of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley are being encouraged to donate to ITV’s annual charity appeal Text Santa - which broadcasts its fundraising show this Friday (20th December) at 8pm - to support local hospice Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice and national hospice charity Help the Hospices.

Help the Hospices is one of six charities to benefit from this year’s Text Santa appeal. As a member of the national hospice charity, Help the Hospices, Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice will now benefit from increased public awareness about hospice care generated by the appeal.

Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice is one of several hospices across the country which has provided inspirational and moving stories of patients and their families talking about their experiences of hospice care, which have been filmed for the appeal. The broadcasts highlight the importance of hospice care and why people should donate to Text Santa, and will be aired in the run-up to the Text Santa main appeal show on 20th December.

Text Santa features prominently across ITV’s flagship programmes such as Daybreak, This Morning and The Jeremy Kyle Show. The appeal is supported by a host of celebrities to help boost fundraising and increase awareness of the work of the charities involved.

Kate Heaps, Chief Executive of Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice said: “We are delighted to be participating in ITV’s Text Santa Appeal.

“We can only do the work we do because of the support of the community, and by talking about these important issues, we hope to ensure that people will continue to support their local hospice.”

David Praill, Chief Executive at Help the Hospices, said: “We have received some fantastic coverage from the Text Santa appeal across a wide range of ITV’s flagship programmes which has really shone a spotlight on hospice care. I hope everyone tunes in to watch the main appeal show on 20th December, donating whatever they can.

“The donations we receive make a massive difference to the work of our member hospices and will enable them to continue to provide invaluable care for terminally ill patients and their families.”