A SPECIAL art show by a special group of people is celebrating a landmark year.

Day patients at Overgate Hospice have put on show much of the work they have produced in recent months.

And it made for a colourful start to the Elland-based hospice’s 30th anniversary year.

The hospice, which has 12 in-patient beds, has helped many hundreds of families across the whole of Calderdale since it was opened in 1981. The art work is in a community gallery in the tourist information office in the Piece Hall.

The hospice care comes at a price – fundraisers working for the Hospice have to raise at least £5,000 every day to keep the services running.

Appeals manager Louise Danieoczuk welcomed the launch of the exhibition and hailed it as a great start to the anniversary celebrations.

“The works that have gone on show have been put together by the patients who come in for our daycare sessions,” she said.

“We run five sessions a week with 12 different patients coming in each day and they have really benefited from the work that they do.

“Our art therapist, Alison McCabe, is full of ideas for them but many of the projects they do are ones they originate.

“The exhibition covers all types of arts and crafts, including painting, quilting, jewellery-making, collage work and knitting.

“Some of the work they do also helps with our fundraising. For example, they knit clothing for the many Teddy bears that we have been given and those can be sold on.

“The groups have patients of all ages from teenagers to people in their 80s and 90s.

“It is a great start to our anniversary year and I hope people will support us throughout the next 12 months”.

The hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults in the Calderdale area.

All patients have a life-limiting, advanced, progressive illness.

The care reaches out into the community through the Day Hospice provision and specialist advice service.

Louise added: “Our aim is to care for the whole person to give them the best possible quality of life.

“We provide support for their families and carers and treatment is based upon an approach that treats each person as an individual.”