As a GP, clergyman and now a trustee of Prospect Hospice, David Maurice has seen from all angles the care the charity provides for people in Marlborough.

After 29 years at Marlborough Surgery, Dr Maurice retired in 2009 bringing an end to the tradition, which spanned four generations and 200 years, of having members of the Maurice family working at the practice.

In 2001 he was ordained as a priest and joined the Marlborough Anglican team, mainly working at St Mary’s Church but also helping at St John the Baptist in Mildenhall and St George’s in Preshute.

He became a Prospect trustee in 2010 after being asked by one of his parishioners, Sarah Garrett, who was then chairman of the trustees.

The hospice, in Wroughton, has launched a campaign with the Gazette to raise £75,000 to open a new outpatient facility at Savernake Hospital.

He said: “As a GP for many years I came to really understand the work Prospect Hospice do.

“From both angles I’ve seen how important the hospice is to people in Marlborough and the surrounding areas.

“I took a funeral just last week of a man who was cared for by Prospect Hospice and the family spoke so highly of the way he was treated and they decided to ask for donations to the hospice which isn’t uncommon practice.

"The standard of quality care that Prospect Hospice is able to provide is quite different from that of a busy hospital like Great Western Hospital where the number of patients means that they can’t give the same quality of end of life care as a hospice can.”

Dr Maurice urged people to support the appeal.

He said: “If you felt you could help the appeal in raising money for Prospect Hospice you would be doing a great service to the community.”