A HOSPICE is to invest in books and support to help children cope with the loss of someone close to them, after winning a charity grant.

The £1,500 award will enable staff at the Garden House Hospice to give books and offer counselling to children connected to hospice patients, so they can explore their feelings and come to terms with their loss.

The money was raised at a charity screening of Hot Fuzz with actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright, after they filmed its sequel, The World’s End in Letchworth GC.

The event was held at the Broadway Cinema in Letchworth GC by the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation.

At present the hospice has 10 books which they lend out. With the funding they will be able to buy a wider range of books, to suit each child’s age and specific needs. They will also be able to let them keep them, extending the range to journals to help the children create a memorial for their loved ones.

Hospice general manager Jenny Lupton said: “We are delighted and very grateful that we have been awarded this grant. At a time when children and their families are struggling through the process of someone close to them becoming progressively ill and dying, these specialist books and resources are a great help in encouraging children to explore, understand and express their feelings.”

The leader of North Hertfordshire District Council, Cllr Lynda Needham, who was part of the selection process said: “There were a lot of very worthy applications and picking just one was a very difficult task. Letchworth’s Garden House Hospice project was successful because it will provide children whose parents or families are being cared for by the hospice with a wide range of learning resources.

“The three year project will be able to help children and families throughout the community during a time of crisis, both now and in the future.”