From helping to build it to now volunteering - Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw have become part of the fabric of life for one Carlisle couple.

Michael Kirk, 74, is from the West Midlands, but was working for Laing Builders and Construction who donated the land on which the hospice was built 31 years ago.

He said: "I was the scaffolding coordinator for Northern England and Northern Ireland, so was involved then."

Michael and wife Hazel, 76, had no children and when they reached 'a crossroads in our lives' they decided to move north where Michael continued to work until the building industry hit a low point.

He was made redundant at the age of 52 and took on several jobs, including working for Inland Revenue and the Office for Work and Pensions.

He also set up a delivery service for a Dalston pharmacy, and took over the deliveries.

It was when their nephew, David, died at Eden Valley Hospice that they had an insight into the running of the establishment and the compassion shown towards patients and their families.

Prior to lockdown, the couple were already raising money for the hospice and were also working 14 hours a week as stewards at the Sands Centre in Carlisle.

The couple decided it was time to retire – but not quite. They decided they wanted to do more for the hospice and have now been volunteering at the Eden Valley Hospice bookshop in The Lanes Shopping Centre, in Carlisle, for nearly four years.

“There is a lot of worry at the moment about the increasing cost of energy and how it will be paid for. It would be atrocious if the hospice had to close because of this," Michael said.

The couple say that working in the bookshop has been a wonderful experience, knowing they are helping a cause which gives so much to so many.

Eden Valley Hospice is a community organisation dedicated to providing specialist care for adults in North Cumbria and South West Scotland who have life limiting conditions.

In addition, they also provide care for their families, friends and carers.

The hospice also cares for children and young adults from across Cumbria, at Jigsaw, Cumbria's Children's Hospice. To donate or to volunteer find out more here.