Relatives and friends can keep the memory of a loved one bright by taking part in a festive fund-raiser.

St Catherine's Hospice is preparing to launch its Tree of Light Appeal, in which each light on its Christmas tree is sponsored in honour of someone who has died.

The lights on the tree will shine continuously until the twelfth night.

The appeal, which raised £17,000 last year when more than 1,000 people took part, helps fund the Crawley hospice, which provides care for people with life-threatening illnesses in Mid Sussex.

It will be launched by Rosemary Burns, Deputy Chairwoman of Mid Sussex District Council, on Saturday, November 30.

From 2.30pm, she will visit hospice shops in The Broadway, Haywards Heath and Church Road, Burgess Hill, to switch on their light decorations.

Hospice fund-raising and communications manager Susan Town said: "Our tree is not just for remembering people who have died at St Catherine's but for anyone who has been dear to you, both in the past or more recently, far away or near to home."

The names of those who have died will be recorded in a book of remembrance.

The public is invited to the Tree of Light Service of Remembrance at the hospice in Malthouse Road, Crawley, on Sunday, December 1 at 4pm. The service will be led by hospice Chaplain Reverend Jonathan Brown.

The hospice needs £3.4 million a year to run, with just 15 per cent of its income awarded by the Government.

Application forms to sponsor a light are available at hospice shops or by calling 01293 447360.