A CHARITY which supports the terminally ill has marked its 20th anniversary by inviting a series of speakers to talk about subjects close to their heart.

Letchworth GC-based Garden House Hospice has now been offering hospice care and support to patients from Stevenage and North Herts with a terminal diagnosis for the last 20 years.

Terry Waite CBE was among those to address staff and healthcare professionals as part of the celebrations, delivering a lecture on ‘Hope’.

Mr Waite spoke about his experience of being held hostage in Beirut between 1987 and 1991, most of the time in solitary confinement, making a comparison with the captive nature of those coping with a terminal diagnosis.

Following his talk, the author of international best-seller Taken on Trust toured the newly refurbished Hospice in Gillison Close and spent time talking with patients in the day hospice and on the in patient unit.