Terminally-ill people have launched a campaign to save a day hospice they describe as a lifeline, writes Suzanne Huband.

The Sobell Clinic at Witney Community Hospital, which opened in September 1999, faces closure if it cannot find the £40,000 needed to run it every year. The Sobell House Charity agreed to fund the hospice for 18 months and time is up next month.

So far, attempts to find the money have been unsuccessful. West Oxfordshire Primary Care Group wants the clinic to continue, but says it has other priorities. Campaigners have the backing of Witney's mayor, Cllr Louise Chapman, the leader of West Oxfordshire District Council, Cllr Barry Norton, and Witney's Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, David Cameron.

The clinic meets every Tuesday and at the moment can take up to 12 people. It is run by health professionals, including doctors and nurses together with volunteers.

Pat Schnelting, of Witney, who attends the hospice, said: "I have terminal breast cancer and this is the only place in west Oxfordshire where we can get this sort of support.

"We can't always talk to our families about what we are going through and it gives them a break.

Janet Todd, of Long Han- borough, said: "You can be yourself here. You do not have to put on a brave face. You can cry here, though we do laugh a lot as well."

Sue Tilbury, of Burford, said: "This clinic is a lifeline and has given me confidence.

The clinic's manager, Sue Prowse, said: "We are very proud of what we have achieved here with the pilot project. We are the only outreach clinic like this in Oxfordshire, and probably the only one of its kind in the country set up in this way."

A trustee of the Sobell House Charity, Valerie Jones, said: "It's a wonderful project but we could only fund it for 18 months as we have many other commitments. It will be so sad if it has to stop."