A charity hoping to open a new multi-million pound hospice in Norfolk in 2013 has relaunched a hospice lottery to help boost fundraising.

Work on Norfolk Hospice's �4m new full-service hospice which will provide 12 in-patient beds officially began on August 3.

But chief executive Richard Shaw has said the charity still needs �2.7m to finish the work at Hillington, near King's Lynn.

The Norfolk Hospice also needs to increase its income ahead of the move away from its current day hospice in Snettisham with yearly running costs expected to rise from �1.4m to �3.4m.

The charity also decided to re-launch of the hospice lottery to coincide with Hospice Care Week.

Amanda Standen, fundraising events co-ordinator, said: 'We currently have 2,726 players but numbers are dropping every week. Currently 34pc of our current weekly lottery income goes directly to our hospice to provide care and support.

'If we can increase our lottery membership then this percentage increases dramatically. If our numbers to 7,000 lottery players the income percentage would rise to 75pc.'

The charity supports more than 280 people every month at its current hospice in Snettisham and has the support of 250 volunteers as well as paid staff. The charity also has six shops across Norfolk and the Fens, including ones in King's Lynn, Fakenham, Wisbech and Downham Market to help raise much-needed funds for the new hospice.

When built, the new hospice at Hillington will fill the 'black hole' in the area and will be an 'important' centre for the future of end-of-life care, the charity has said.

Hospice Care Week runs from today until Friday and it is hoped will raise awareness of hospice care and address the misconceptions that people may have about what hospice care is.

John Hunt, director of care services, said: 'From being there through the hard times to helping celebrate the good times, The Norfolk Hospice helps people in rural Norfolk and the Fens with life-limiting and terminal illnesses to live well until they die, and supports their families too.'

The Norfolk Hospice is also asking the communities it serves what hospice care means to them in just one word as part of the national event.

Mr Hunt continued: 'Hospice care has different associations for different people – positive, challenging and sometimes very surprising.

'By asking thousands of people to choose just one word to represent what hospice care means to them, we are aiming to create a picture of what our work really means to our local community.'

Choice, life, laughter, friends and home are among the thought-provoking words that people have already sent in.

The join the hospice lottery call the fundraising team on 01485 542891 or visit www.norfolkhospice.org.uk.

People can email their word which describes what hospice care means to them to enquiries@norfolkhospice.org.uk.

david.blackmore@archant.co.uk