CHAMPAGNE corks have been popping at the Prospect Hospice after generous Adver readers turned a dream into a reality.

The charity's Prospect@Home service has reached its fundraising target, which means patients across the region can now be cared for at home at the end of their lives.

In November 2006, the Swindon Advertiser committed its support to the appeal to raise £250,000 to start up and sustain Prospect@Home over its first three years.

We believed that our caring readers would want to help people with life-limiting illnesses to be able to die at home, surrounded by the people they love.

And how right we were. Our readers have a long history of supporting good causes, and once again they have risen to the challenge with Prospect@Home.

Throughout the appeal we've brought you stories showing how much Prospect@Home was wanted and needed, and kept you up to date with progress.

Prospect Hospice's Vicki Morrey, said: "I am delighted that, thanks in large part to the people of Swindon and the readers of the Swindon Advertiser, we now have a team of specialist nurses and carers bringing Prospect's highly-reputed care into the homes of people at the end of their lives.

"We always knew that it is very often what our patients and their families would have preferred, and now that choice exists in this community."

The appeal has gathered momentum since the £200,000 target was achieved in November, and the clinical team at Prospect has started taking the initial steps to bring the planned service into patients' homes.

"The families have told us how much it has meant to them that people they love have been able to die at home with their families, as was their wish.

"It means our reach of care extends even more widely, and increases our ability to care for more patients than we ever have before."

Funding Prospect@Home will now become part of the hospice's mainstream fundraising activity, but initiatives such as the Get Together - where people share a social occasion to raise money for the new service - will continue.

"We've raised the money to get the service started and now our challenge is to fund it for its first three years," said Vicki.

Karen Garlick, Prospect @Home team leader, said: "Many, many thanks to all Swindon Advertiser readers for their part in bringing Prospect@Home to our community, and for their support, generosity and endorsement of the work we do"

Swindon Advertiser editor Dave King said: "It was a fantastic effort by our readers and I am proud of what they have achieved in hitting the Prospect@Home target."