Thousands of families have reason to be grateful to hospice staff in Northern Ireland who provide palliative care to the terminally ill and vital support to their relatives.
It is wonderful and inspiring work and also an essential part of our broader healthcare service.
That role is set to be greatly enhanced by the opening of the new Northern Ireland Hospice building on the Somerton Road in north Belfast.
The £13 million 18-bed adult facility is due to be completed in the spring and while Somerton Road is well-known for its care of patients with cancer, the new unit will also be the first `dementia friendly' hospice of its kind in the UK.
As well as the inpatient care, the new building will look after outpatients, offering day care and respite.
This is a facility with enormous public support. Indeed the bulk of the money needed to make this new hospice a reality has come from public and corporate donations.
Government has also provided funding to the tune of £2.7 million but chief executive Heather Weir says a final £1.5 million is needed to complete the building.
Meetings have taken place between hospice staff and government officials but no guarantees have so far been given.
First minister Arlene Foster, deputy first minister Martin McGuinness and health minister Simon Hamilton all visited the site yesterday and spoke in glowing terms about the project.
There is no doubt the hospice provides a service which would otherwise fall to the NHS.
Indeed, Heather Weir estimates the new facility will save the NHS £2.7 million a year.
As we know, there are many demands on the public purse, particularly in terms of the health service.
But we also know that money can often be found for projects - some of them questionable - if the political will is there.
By any standard, the Northern Ireland Hospice is a worthy cause and will hopefully be completed on time.
