PROSPECT Hospice has been awarded more than £5,000 by the Gannett Foundation.

The £5,554 grant to the Wroughton-based hospice will go towards buying a new hoist to help staff move patients with mobility issues.

Prospect Hospice’s occupational therapist Anne Hughes said: “We needed a hoist to use in the inpatient unit similar to those that people use in their own homes, but robust enough to be used regularly on the unit.

“Using this new hoist will be virtually the same as using those that people are familiar with at home, which is so important to our patients’ everyday activity.

“For patients and carers it will help them to gain confidence in using a hoist, which is really important for people who have limited mobility, particularly when they live with a condition that means getting out of bed is problematic, or even otherwise impossible.”