A FURNESS rugby  club have partnered up with a beloved Ulverston charity to celebrate their 30th anniversary year.

Barrow Raiders RLFC have set their sights on the south Cumbrian community to coincide with St Mary’s Hospice’s 30 years of service.

Given its iconic status in Barrow and beyond, Barrow Raiders are keen to support and promote the work of St Mary’s Hospice.

Though all hospice care and services are free of charge to the community, they are not free to provide, costing over £3.2million per year to run.

In order to fund this, the charity relies primarily on donations and fundraising which is what inspired the Barrow raiders to get involved.

Barrow Raiders will host several ‘bucket collections’ at their home games this season to make a contribution to the much needed fundraising for St Mary’s.

The local rugby league club’s desire to improve the physical and mental health of its community means that its support for St Mary’s will be more than financial.

Players will visit the hospice to better understand the importance of its work, and in turn show their fans that they are not afraid to address not just living a better life, but also consider what constitutes a ‘good’ death.

Adele Neale, sales and commercial manager at Barrow Raiders, welcomed the partnership between the charity and club.

She said: “This is a great partnership for the club.

“Everyone at The Raiders wants the club to be very much part of the local community and everyone within it recognises the great work of St Mary’s Hospice.

“Barrow Raiders don’t just want to be a rugby club they have a vision of being the central hub for all the charitable work in the area.”

Clare Tonkin, area fundraiser at St Mary’s Hospice, said: "When we care for someone at the end of their life, we only have one chance to get it right.

“It’s vital we’re there, whether in the hospice or the community, to offer expert and compassionate support to every family in need. We can’t do this alone.

“Not only do we need to raise millions of pounds every year, we also need to ensure everyone knows the difference our care and support can make.

“Partnerships with organisations like Barrow Raiders help us to reach new parts of our community in different ways.”For more information about the hospice visit www.stmaryshospice.org.uk