KEMP patient, John Lacy, said that if it were not for the care and support he and his family received from the hospice he would not be alive today.

Mr Lacy, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease four and a half years ago, has been a patient at Kemp for two and a half years.

He said: "When diagnosed, I was told by the consultant I had two years to live, 'thank you and goodbye'. It was quite blunt and I never saw him again.

"But that was in July, 2000 and I think the fact I am still here is down to my attitude and the people around me, including those at Kemp."

Mr Lacy, whose cruel disease traps sufferers in an increasingly useless body while leaving them mentally totally intact, attends Kemp every weekday.

Like many patients, he was full of trepidation on the day of the first visit - although few people, after that initial day, refuse to come again.

Mr Lacy said: "People hear the word 'hospice' and they think it is people sitting there not saying anything, waiting to die but it is not like that at all."

He explained the ethos of the hospice movement was that patients were starting a new chapter in their lives - not thinking about the end.

"Kemp can give you that without a doubt. We come here to enjoy life."

He added: "The care of the nurses and volunteers is second to none. There are therapists, such as reflexologists, a hairdresser, chaplains, all on hand. Where else could you get all that under one roof?" he said.

Although the atmosphere was caring, Mr Lacy said there was no question of patronising patients.

He said: "If you want to talk about things, you can. If you don't, nobody forces you.

"People here don't ask me how I feel. They ask me what kind of day I am having and, if it is bad, they say 'I hope you have a good one tomorrow'."