THIS is what £16million buys you. It's one of the most modern hospices in Europe - and it's where the Marie Curie Hospice will call home in 2009.

And this exciting vision of the future is what our new campaign, The Big Build, is aiming for.

We are calling on everyone to lend us their full support to give Glasgow the state-of-the-art hospice it deserves, in the grounds of Stobhill Hospital.

The present hospice, which looks after 3400 patients with terminal illnesses every year, is more than 30 years old and desperately needs to be replaced by a modern facility.

With deaths from cancer in Scotland expected to rise from 14,900 in 1999 to 16,300 in 2010, a new hospice has never been more important.

Fundraisers have already secured around £8million and we're calling on YOU to help raise the remaining £8million.

Despite the excellent level of care given to patients, the shortcomings of the building are clear.

Doors aren't wide enough to push beds through, there is no piped oxygen (essential in a modern hospice), there is a lack of access to the outside and limited parking space.

AT the moment, if patients want a breath of fresh air or to feel the sun on their face, possibly for the last time, they have a long and tiring journey along the corridor, often with a further journey down two flights of stairs.

Coupled with that, many patient toilets are located far from the wards, there are few single bed rooms and limited space for visiting families.

The new hospice, which will be built just a few hundred yards from the present location, will have none of these problems. Instead, it will be a modern, state-of-the-art hospice.

The new hospice will features 30 in-patient beds, 24 of which will be in single rooms, an increase from the current 12. Every room will also boast a private en suite bathroom and shower. Each room will also have a private television for patients and piped oxygen.

More importantly, every room will have the facility for overnight stays, allowing family and loved ones to spend more precious time together.

Every patient will also have direct access to the outside, through sliding doors, and many will have fantastic views over the Campsies.

Building work on this fabulous new hospice begins next month and is expected to take around two years to complete.

The man charged with raiding the deep pockets of the business community for the Big Build is Donald Storrie. The former estate agent and businessman is the chairman of fundraising committee and provides the vital link between the charity and the business world. He says the key to convincing firms to part with their cash is to show them exactly why a new hospice is needed.

He said: "If you can get people into the building, particularly when it's a cold, windy day, it's easy for them to see why we need to build a brand new hospice.

"You only have to walk along the corridor to see the blinds moving because the windows don't fit properly to realise something drastic has to be done.

"You can also see a lot of furniture and medical equipment lying around in the corridors because there's nowhere else for it to go.

"There are a million and one problems like that. It's past it's sell-by date. Maintenance costs are too high, it's a continual drain. We need to start again."

Housekeeper Christine Kelly, agrees that a new build is the only way: "We would like to work in a building for the 21st century."

Hospice chaplain Dawn Allan, added: "Our current building is limited. Palliative care requires an environment which is conducive to respect and wellbeing. To meet spiritual, emotional and bereavement needs in a new building will be wonderful."

Dr Jim Adam, medical director at the hospice, said: "We are extremely excited about the opportunities the new hospice will provide and the crucial benefits it will bring to patients and their families."

Marie Curie's Doreen Molloy is frustrated by the clutter - this conservatory can't be used by patients, as there's so little space elsewhere it's been turned into a store room	Domestic Patricia Kirkwood in the laundry room, which staff say is too cramped, and lacks proper ventilation	Cleaners Elizabeth Pike and Frances Thomson fight their way through one of the cluttered corridors of the present hospice, which is like an obstacle course

Art goes under hammer to raise funds

PAINTINGS by some of the biggest names in the art world will go under the hammer tonight, and it's all for the Big Build campaign.

A charity art auction, led by auctioneer Anita Manning, of TV antiques show Flog It!, will see works by Peter Howson, John Byrne and Peter Goodfellow go up for auction at a special event at the Glasgow Art Fair tonight.

Money raised from the event, held at the Art Fair in George Square, will go toward building the new Marie Curie hospice for Glasgow.

The event begins at 8pm. For more information contact artfair@ uzevents.com or call 0141 248 9423.