A business has raised nearly £3000 for a hospice in Ulverston after the charity cared for one of its employees.

Spirit Energy, which has a base in Barrow, was fundraising in memory of Sean Tyson, who was looked after by St Mary's Hospice last year.

The sizable sum was raised through the company's Christmas raffle, remembering Sean, who had dedicated his entire professional life to Spirit Energy.

Craig Crawshaw, production supervisor at Spirit Energy, said: “It was fantastic to meet the special nurses and staff of St Mary's Hospice today [Friday, February 2], who looked after and supported our colleague and friend and his family recently at a very difficult time.

“It was also a pleasure to be able to present the Hospice with a cheque for £2,955 on behalf of Spirit Energy in memory of Sean - the money was raised by hard working members of the sports and social team and the total raised was match funded by Spirit Energy.

"It was an honour to present the cheque with Sean’s wife Karen in attendance.”

The hospice explained that this support will ensure that others can receive the same compassionate care that Sean did.

The Ulverston based charity, which provides care to people with life-limiting conditions and their families from across South Cumbria, will use the money to provide hospice care to those in need.

Annabelle Holloway, Corporate Partnerships Manager at St Mary’s Hospice, said: “It is incredibly heart-warming that the staff at Spirit Energy in Barrow have come together during such a hard time to raise money in memory of their beloved colleague, Sean Tyson.

“It is also very kind and compassionate of Spirit Energy to put their own money in to match fund the money raised by their staff - we only receive one fifth of our funding from the NHS which means that the care of eight out of ten of our patients, like Sean, are funded by generous donations such as this one."