A NEWPORT hospice is edging closer to a chance to win a £250,000 house that will help them expand the service they provide to people battling life-limiting conditions.

St David’s Foundation Hospice Care is one of three charities to have made the east Wales regional final of the competition run by Persimmon Homes. The Noah’s Ark Appeal and Wales Air Ambulance complete the trio.

They are competing for a chance to win a brand new three bedroom detached house with garage valued at £250,000, while a further 23 runners up will each receive a £6,000 donation.

The hospice, which provides at home nursing care to around 1,300 patients in south east Wales every year, says the house would enable them to care for more patients and families.

Kris Broome, director of fundraising and lottery at St David’s Hospice Care said: "Our nurses do a fantastic job, but we need more and more money each year as our service continues to grow and winning this competition would make such a huge difference to our fundraising effort.

"At St David’s Hospice Care we offer a very unique, extensive service to both our patients and their families and the winning the prize in these difficult financial times would really help us to maintain that."

Launched in 1979 the charity, which opened a new chemotheraphy outreach clinic in Malpas earlier this year, offers a more personal and supportive service to patients. Last year it cared for a record number of 3,000 people.

An independent panel will now decide which charity will be chosen to go through to the national final.

The list of finalists will be published at persimmonhomes.com/40 on Thursday before the public can vote for a winner. The winning charity will be announced at a special Persimmon Homes 40th birthday lunch on September 27 in London.