A HEREFORDSHIRE charity will be kicking off its special birthday celebrations this weekend. 

St Michael's Hospice, welcomed its first patients in 1984, and now cares for around 2,500 people in the county and its borders each year.

This weekend, a series of fundraising events at the hospice will kick-off celebrations.

Today (Saturday), there will be An Immersive Night of Musicals, followed by a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party tomorrow (Sunday). Then, rounding off the weekend will be a 40th anniversary afternoon tea on the Terrace.

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The big celebrations will be in October when the charity will launch one of its most ambitious fundraisers to date as it looks to the community to help raise £400,000 in just 40 hours.

“As we reach our milestone birthday, we want to say thank you to everyone who has supported St Michael’s during the course of the last four decades,” said incoming St Michael’s chief executive, Matt Fellows.

“Without the generosity of our community, we simply wouldn’t be able to provide the expert free-of-charge care to those who need it, and offer support to their loved ones.

“Last year, we cared for more people than at any point in our history. That is why, in this anniversary year, we are inviting the community to be part of something special - to help us raise a massive £400,000 through our Caring for the Future campaign.”

The campaign will see the hospice look to secure £200,000 from ‘early adopters’ who will pledge to provide match funding. These early adopters will help encourage a further £200,000 from the community when the 40-hour campaign goes live in October.