ST DAVID'S Foundation Hospice Care may have announced they've cared for their highest number of patients and raised their most ever amount of money, but as HARRY HAWKINS finds out, a lot of work is done for free.

MORE THAN 2,600 Gwent people have received the care of St David's Foundation nurses, the Argus can reveal.

The figure is the most ever patients hospice staff have cared for over a one year period and it has been made possible thanks to a total of over £4.1 million raised by fundraisers throughout Gwent over the past year.

"That is a record amount of people cared for and a record amount of money raised," confirmed St David's Fundraising Manager Kris Broom.

The charity's expenditure matched the amount raised and Mr Broom said although the figure was amazing, they were still pushed.

"We're desperate for all the support we can gather," he said.

"What this shows is our service of care is in greater demand than ever."

The charity has enjoyed tremendous growth since the first day on September 15, 1979, when Heulwen Egerton started the . the Domiciliary Care Pilot Scheme.

It now has day hospices in Panteg and Ystrad Mynach, 17 clinical nurse specialists, a year-round 24 hour a day call service, a resource centre at Chepstow, 24 shops, and bereavement and education teams.

They are now looking to move from their current headquarters at Cambrian House in Newport and are in talks with Newport Council to find alternate accommodation to better suit their needs.

St David's Foundation beat their previous fundraising record by half a million pounds. In 2006/7 St David's raised, and then spent £3.6 million in caring for 2,481 patients.