GLASGOW’S new hospice is one step closer thanks to a huge cash boost from a national grant-making charity.

The St James’s Place Foundation has awarded £375,000 to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice’s £21m new build project.

It is one of the biggest donations ever received by the hospice, which will move to Bellahouston Park in two years’ time.

Rhona Baillie, chief executive of the hospice, said: ““We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the St. James’ Place Foundation. This is a considerable sum.

“Work starts on the new hospice in June and we are focusing on raising the final £4m.

“This donation brings us one step closer to providing gold-standard palliative care in a 21st-century facility.”

The money from the foundation, which is the charitable arm of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, will help to fund the young people’s lounge and courtyard.

The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice cares for more than 1200 patients and families each year.

It has outgrown its much-loved home at Carlton Place, on the banks of the River Clyde in the city centre, and hopes to begin moving patients to the new purpose-built facility in the spring of 2018.

Rhona has been involved in every stage of the design process, including planning individual rooms which open on to a shared courtyard space, accommodation for families and facilities to care for young people aged from 15 years.

She said: “Patient and family care must come first. I’m a palliative care nurse and that’s what drives me and the team – to make sure we get it right every time.

“There is a gap in the provision of palliative care for young people in Scotland, and we are the first hospice in the country to start the transition of young people into adult care.”

The hospice depends on the generosity of supporters and the community to raise the £3 million in voluntary donations that is required to maintain its services.

Mark Longbottom, head of the St James’s Place Foundation, said he was delighted the donation would be used specifically for young people’s services.

He added: “The team at the hospice is offering an exceptional level of care and support in a facility that has become inappropriate for the requirements of the patients and families they serve today.

“We are very excited about the prospect of creating a wonderful space for the children who will visit the new hospice.”