A hospice has been forced to axe its day centre services as it struggles to cope during the financial crisis.

The Martlets Hospice in Hove says the “difficult” decision was necessary in order to protect its inpatient and community services.

Hospice bosses have been finding it hard to raise the £3.5 million a year it needs to keep all its facilities going.

A combination of a drop in legacy income and a fall in the amount coming in through sponsorship has meant tough decisions had to be taken now to avoid a crisis in six month's time.

The hospice, which is run as a charity and is not part of the NHS, says it needs to protect core facilities such as inpatient beds and the Martlets@Home service.

It has already dipped into its reserves after falling almost £300,000 into the red last year and trustees said the situation could not continue.

Up to 60 patients a week use the day hospice.

It provides a place for people from across Brighton and Hove and surrounding areas to meet, relax, talk about their treatment, do some gardening, physiotherapy, visit the chapel, try arts and crafts and much more.

Aromatherapy services will also be axed.

The cuts will save the hospice around £190,000 over the next 12 months.

Day hospice staff are expected to be offered jobs elsewhere within the Martlets.

Hospice chairman Roger French said: “It is desperately sad that the decision to withdraw these valuable services has been forced on us.

“With the economic situation putting increasing pressure on all sections of the local community and without any indication that the climate will improve in the immediate future, the trustees believe that this decision is unavoidable.

“We have to be realistic and acknowledge that although we continue to receive tremendous support from the local community, the ongoing pressure on people’s incomes will make it harder for them to make the same level of donations and support our events to the same degree as in the past.”

For the full story see today's Argus.