IT was Willie Sayce's dying wish that his land be donated to help life-limited children and their families.

And it's a dream that is about to be set in stone, when work begins on Worcester's Acorns Children's Hospice.

For years builders had been offering Willie and his wife, June, bundles of cash for their three-acre plot on Worcester's Bath Road.

But they fought off promises of new-found wealth and finally set their hearts on donating it to Acorns Children's Hospice Trust.

"It was such a lovely site that we decided we couldn't have houses on it so we kept thinking about what we could do with it," says his widow, June.

"So we met several members of Acorns and liked them and therefore we said we would donate the land and it will be what we want it to be and it will be something that will help everyone.

"He knew that everything was going through alright and he had said to me 'June, if I die tomorrow we know now that Acorns will be built on our land'.

"He said that was all that matters, and within a few hours he had died.

"But at least he was happy to know that it was all going through."

Willie was born at the house, which he shared with June for 41 years.

"My husband lived all on this land all of his life," said the 76-year-old.

"We married in 1958 and he was very fond of outdoor life. We had poultry, cattle and ponies here.

"We worked the land together and it brought us much happiness.

"Throughout the years, we had been inundated with builders wanting to build on the land but we would never let it go because it wasn't what we wanted."

Whilst the couple were still pondering over what to do with the land, city solicitor David Hallmark mentioned that Acorns was searching for a site in Worcester.

"Mr Hallmark, who is also a friend, came and told us about Acorns and we just looked at each other and said 'that's the answer'.

"We often saw sick children on TV and Willie would remark how awful it must be for their parents.

"I've put everything into it now and I want to see it built and running.

"I shall know then that everything has been worthwhile.

"I've had pleasure watching it grow and it's given me a whole new life, because it's been something that we can put back into the community.

"There really aren't that many children's hospices in the country and it's very sad.

June still throws in as much help as she can to the project, and members of the team regularly pop to her house, next door to the site, to keep her informed.

"We had been looking for a site for some time," said John Overton, chief executive of the charity.

"The Sayces' generous offer meant everything just fell into place."

But there was one demand that Willie and June did make - that the donkeys were allowed to stay on the land.

"Dotty and Sally are the two that are left," says June.

"Acorns have built a lovely stable for them and they are in the lap of luxury and full of life. They will be a wonderful thing for the children."