SUPPORTERS and staff at a new hospice being built in Worcester will be on top of the world today as they celebrate a major milestone in the £4m building project.

The new Acorns Children's Hospice, being built in Bath Road, near the city centre, will be officially "topped out" at 11.45am by Worcester Rugby head coach Andy Keast.

The topping out ceremony traditionally celebrates the roofing of the highest part of the building.

The hospice will provide "invaluable" help and support for more than 250 children from Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire who are not expected to live to adulthood.

Head nurse Angela Mercer said: "It is exciting to see the roof going on the building now and I can start to imagine what it will be like to have children and families staying here.

"But it is currently a shell and there is a huge task ahead as we turn this building into a comfortable home-from-home.

"We still need to raise £800,000 to fully equip and furnish the hospice and to recruit and induct an experienced and caring staff team."

The state-of-the art hospice, which is being built by Malvern company Speller-Metcalfe, will be completed by the end of November and will welcome families early next year.

It will have 10 bedrooms, accommodation for families, a hydrotherapy pool and gardens.

A community team, which is already supporting more than 80 families from the three counties, will also be based at the hospice.

To find out more about the hospice or to make a donation please call 01905 767676 or visit www.acorns.org.uk

And a bit more off the top, please, barber!

BRAVE punters at a Worcester pub had their heads shaved and bodies waxed to raise funds for the Acorns Children's Hospice Trust.

Staff and customers at The Drakes Drum, Tudor Way, Dines Green were involved in the event yesterday, to raise money for life-limited children and their families.

The pub's licensee, Sarah Wheeldon, said: "We had a really good day. I am counting out the money now and it looks to be around £500.

Bar manager Ian Todd wielded the razor and his victims included Eddie McCabe, Kev Rose and Richards Griffiths.