A LOCAL charity which raised almost £200,000 towards creating a residential hospice in Pembrokeshire has decided to call it a day.

The Marpet Fund was set up in 2008 by retired Fishguard policeman Mick Andrews, along with his wife and sister in honour of his parents.

It was based on Goodwick Industrial Estate and raised money by recycling furniture, clothing and unwanted household items.

But the charity was forced to vacate the premises two years ago after its annual business rates more than doubled. It has since continued to have a presence at Fishguard Market.

The decision to disband came from Mr Andrews and the trustees at the Marpet Fund’s AGM in June.

Mr Andrews said: “It has not been the same since we moved out of our Goodwick warehouse.

“I realised my dream of setting up a residential hospice was never going to happen as the bigger organisations were not prepared to support it. They felt they were doing what needed to be done, and that a hospice was neither necessary nor affordable. But I disagree; there is a need for a hospice in Pembrokeshire.”

Since it was launched in 2008, the Marpet Fund has collected more than £194,000, with £130,000 donated to local causes.

These include the Paul Sartori Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support, Ty Hafan, LATCH, Asbestos Awareness Support Cymru, PATCH and Headway.

Mr Andrews added: “I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get our hospice, but we did a lot of good work along the way, and we received some nice comments from the people we helped.

“I would like to thank all of the trustees for their hard work and everyone who has supported us over the years.

“I’m now going to take it easy for a while.”