DRIVERS can have the autumn grime washed from their cars later this month - and help raise badly needed funds to build a newWorcester hospice at the same time.

Staff at Avis, in Hylton Road, is running a car wash between 10am and 2pm on Sunday, October 30.

The team are suggesting that drivers donate £3 per car for the privilege of driving away in a sparkling motor.

All the money raised at the event which will go straight to St Richard's Hospice.

Although its car wash and valeting building was demolished on the orders of city planning officers earlier this month after the company flouted panning regulations, Avis still has jet wash facilities which are used for car cleaning.

On the day, there will also be a competition to guess the number of balloons inside a car - and the person who comes up with the nearest number will be allowed to borrow the vehicle for the weekend.

St Richard's Hospice fund-raising assistant Joanna Street said: "It's a fantastic that Avis is helping the hospice in this way. I hope lots of people will pop in."

St Richard's, currently based in Rose Hill, off London Road, is hoping to build a new hospice near County Hall and campaigners are working to raise about £350,000 needed for the Building Beds Together campaign. The hospice intends to have 15 urgently need specialist beds, which are not currently available in the area.