A Cheshire hospice will save thousands of pounds after a storage firm donated a free container to protect funds for patient care.

St Luke's Hospice, which costs around £6.8 million a year to run, has been given free use of a 20-foot Lock Stock Self Storage unit for 12 months.

The hospice relies on donations and fundraising for nearly 90 per cent of the money needed to provide the care, making support from local businesses like Lock Stock - which has a site in Chester - increasingly important.

The space is being used to store fundraising materials, event equipment and charity shop stock, cutting operating costs and free up more money for patients and families facing some of life's most difficult moments.

Daniel Harrison, corporate fundraising officer at St Luke's Hospice, said: "We're grateful to Lock Stock for this generous support.

"Every pound we save on operational costs is a pound that can be invested back into caring for local patients and supporting families.

"We're delighted to be building on our relationship with Lock Stock and thankful for their continued support of the hospice."

The partnership builds on a growing relationship between the two organisations, following Lock Stock's previous support of the Winsford-based hospice's Easter fundraising activities.

The hospice provides specialist care and support to local people living with life-limiting illnesses, as well as emotional and practical support for their families.

Each year, the charity supports hundreds of patients and family members across Cheshire through its Inpatient Unit, outpatient services and community support programmes.

Like many hospices across the UK, St Luke's faces increasing demand for its services while relying heavily on the generosity of the local community.

Lock Stock site manager Richard Warner visited the hospice earlier this year to drop off a donation of Easter Eggs, which were given out to patients and service users, as well as to the hospice's special bereavement support group for children called the Phoenix Group.

Richard said: "As a family-run company which genuinely cares about the communities in which we have a presence, I am thrilled we have been able to provide the container unit to the hospice to help it in its work.

"St Luke's Hospice has been part of the community in Winsford and the wider Cheshire area for many years, so we are delighted our relationship with this important organisation is continuing to develop.

"People all over the area will know of St Luke's Hospice and its life-changing work and it was a privilege and truly inspiring to visit the hospice at Easter to learn about the amazing support it provides to people."

As the company's first storage park in Cheshire, Lock Stock's Winsford site opened in June last year as part of a major expansion of the business. The 1.5 acre site has 224 containers offering units measuring 10, 20 and 40 feet long.

The firm has since opened other sites in Chester, Crewe, Northwich and Runcorn.

Richard said: "The response we have had from our customers in Cheshire as we have expanded into the area has been hugely positive.

"Our Winsford site is in a fantastic location with great access, and the units are professionally insulated and are brand new.

"They are used by a whole variety of customers from businesses to households and of course we are delighted to have St Luke's Hospice using our facility here too.

"Our sites are safe and secure and are covered by CCTV and lighting and customers enjoy the convenience of the access to their units."

The North Wales-based company, the UK's largest storage container provider, now has 38 sites across 30 towns and cities, providing more than 6,400 units.

Lock Stock now provides more than five million cubic feet of space in total.

The company estimates that over 70 per cent of their units are rented by people moving house or keeping treasured possessions, but nearly 30 per cent, almost 2,000, are used by a variety of businesses for storing materials, stock and equipment.

For information about Lock Stock Self Storage, including off-site container hire, contact them on 01745 817178 or visit here.