PATIENTS and staff at Primrose Hospice are celebrating the charity's 30th anniversary with a birthday ball and a look back at the last three decades.

The charity, based in Bromsgrove, was set up in 1987 to provide community-based palliative day care to people with cancer, but now supports patients with a multitude of conditions - from motor neurone disease to multiple sclerosis.

The hospice has also experienced physical changes, moving from Princess of Wales Community Hospital, adding a day hospice in 2004, a separate family support building in 2012, and the recent installation of a specialist patient bathroom.

Chief executive officer Helen Briscoe said: "We are excited to be celebrating our 30th birthday. We have been providing excellent care to those in our local community who need us most for 30 years.

"Together we look back and thank the visionaries who set up Primrose Hospice and look forward to being there for our local communities into the future."

Last year alone, Primrose's 60 members of staff supported 973 people across Redditch and Bromsgrove, 130 of which were children.

Another 470 volunteers provide vital aid, including sales assistants at its six local charity shops, saving the hospice more than £1million each year.

Helen added: "We are aware of future predictions that our services will be needed more and more over the next 30 years.

"We ask our local communities to support us however they can so together we can ensure that we will always be there for them, their families and friends.

"No-one wants to be in a position where they need our care but they are very glad to receive it when they are."

Staff, patients, families and supporters will be marking the charity's birthday at Bromsgrove's Holiday Inn on Friday.

James Rennison, managing director of Kendrick Homes, which is sponsoring the ball, said: "We feel very privileged to have been given the opportunity to offer our support to Primrose Hospice.

“This essential service and the support they provide is exceptional especially when you consider it relies almost solely on charitable donations to deliver their services."

To donate, call 01527 889796, or contact the hospice on 01527 871051 for information on how to volunteer.