A SPECIAL appeal on BBC Radio 4 is being broadcast to benefit a local charity Ross-on-Wye-based Hope Support Services.

The appeal will be broadcast on Radio 4 on Sunday May 17 at 7.54am and 9.25pm and repeated on Thursday May 21 at 3.27pm.

The appeal has been pre-recorded by well-known BBC comedian Ashley Storrie at the BBC’s Glasgow studio.

Ashley’s mum Janey Godley died from ovarian cancer a few years ago and Ashley collaborated on a BBC radio comedy series with her mum called The C Bomb before she died, in which they talked about cancer.

Ashley also stars in the BBC TV show Dinosaur, which just aired its second series and in her own BBC Radio 4 comedy show What’s the Story, Ashley Storrie?

The BBC Radio 4 Appeal features the story of the charity’s former client Liberty who was just 15 when her older sister India was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Like so many of the young people Hope supports, she struggled with loneliness and friends who had no experience of what she was facing.

Liberty found understanding and friendship when she came along to Hope’s youth sessions and trips, which she continued to attend after India sadly died - and now, her story is being told through the appeal.

“Every single one of our young people is going through something so difficult, which most adults would struggle to cope with,” said fundraising manager Louise Dockstader.

“Liberty’s is just one of thousands of stories we could have shared, stories which show the impact our service has on the young people and families we support.

Hope supports over 400 children and young people nationally every year when a loved one has a serious illness. About half of these children and young people are in Herefordshire and surrounding counties.

The charity delivers group sessions in Ross, Leominster, Hereford, Ledbury and at St Michael’s Hospice.

The sessions are based around one-to-one contact in schools and in the community all over Herefordshire as well as supporting children and young people all over the country through its online service.

“The need for our charity’s work is so great, and we are really excited about the BBC Radio 4 Appeal,” concluded Ms Dockstader.

One of Hope’s funders, The Brailsford Charity, has provided match funding for the first £5,000 of donations to the appeal.

Hope’s key measured impacts for these young people are to improve their mental health and wellbeing; strengthen their resilience and coping skills and to improve their support networks.

Hope’s most recent external evaluation, over 90 per cent of young people and their families agreed that the charity delivered some or a big improvement in the first three key impacts and over 70 per cent in improved school attendance.

Hope also provides a youth management team of young people age 14 to 25 who have relevant lived experience, which decides important policies and direction for the charity, as well as undertaking youth social action.

For further information contact [email protected] or call Hope on 01989 566317.