Hundreds of people from across Greater Manchester will be remembering their loved ones as part of the Forget-me-not Appeal for St Ann’s Hospice.

The Forget-me-not Appeal gives people the chance to receive a special wooden keepsake and, if they wish, to attend a service at the hospice’s Heald Green or Little Hulton site, to remember friends or family members they can no longer be with, whilst making a donation to St Ann’s.

Organisers of the appeal, which runs from April until June, are expecting the total number of people taking part to reach more than a thousand before it closes, with all donations going towards helping local patients, their families and carers.

The charity, which operates from sites in Little Hulton, Heald Green and the Neil Cliffe Centre in Wythenshawe Hospital, looks after thousands of patients every year with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses – managing their symptoms, providing support, caring for people at the hospice or at home, and providing end-of-life care. It also runs a range of outreach services to help support people in the local community.

Eamonn O’Neal, chief executive of St Ann’s, said: “OurForget-me-not Appeal is incredibly important to us as it gives us the opportunity to raise money for our patients and their families, whilst also honouring the lives of those who are sadly no longer with us.

“We’re always overwhelmed to see so many people supporting our patients in this way – some with a connection to the hospice, and others who don’t have any connection but want to celebrate the life of someone special.

“Every penny raised really does help us to provide specialist care that makes a difference to the lives of local people.”

For more information on St Ann’s, or if you would like to take part in the Forget-Me-Not appeal to remember someone special, please call 0161 498 3631 or visit the charity’s website.