Devon-based charity Hospiscare is celebrating the results of a record-breaking 36-hour fundraising giveathon.

The people-powered appeal raised an incredible £500,000, giving a vital boost to care for people with life-limiting conditions in their own homes across Exeter, central and east Devon.

Thanks to generous match funding, every donation made during the appeal was doubled, ensuring that the final total exceeded all hopes.

Head of public fundraising, Sarah Smith, said: “We didn't dare to dream that we would raise anything like this amount. The community has responded in a way we could not have imagined.

“The appeal was entitled ‘Keeping Care at Home’ and that's exactly what it's going to do. Across the heart of Devon, we care for around 600 people every day, most of whom are cared for in the comfort of their own homes, surrounded by their loved ones, belongings and pets.

“As a local charity, this will go a long way to making sure that more people can be cared for in this way.”

This funding boost will help Hospiscare fund visits from a Hospiscare specialist nurse, provide dementia nurse visits, support visits from the Rapid Response Team, enable home bereavement visits and provide complementary therapies in patients’ homes.

Sarah Smith added:“The fantastic fundraising total sums up the way that our community really cares about Hospiscare and what we’re trying to do.”

“It's been the most incredible example of community power. I’d like to thank our match funders and community ‘champions’, without whom this campaign simply wouldn’t have been possible, and all the supporters and donors who have done us proud and helped to keep care at home.”

Hospiscare is a local charity providing specialist care for adults with a terminal illness and their families in Exeter, central and east Devon. It receives just 24 percent of its funding from the NHS.