DESIGNER Jasper Conran has been announced as a patron of Julia's House Children's Hospice.

Mr Conran OBE, who lives in Wiltshire, has supported the Dorset & Wiltshire children's hospice charity for a number of years.

He provides funding for nurses through his charitable foundation and – most recently – was a guest reader at the charity’s Carols by Candlelight concert at Wimborne Minster.

On his latest appointment, Mr Conran  said: "I am very proud that I am able to help this extraordinary organisation do its fantastic and much-needed work, building memories and providing ongoing care and support not just for the child but for the whole family."

Meanwhile, Julia's House chief executive officer Martin Edwards said he was "delighted" to have Mr Conran  as a patron.

Mr Edwards added: "Jasper has taken a great interest in the work of our nurses and carers across Dorset and Wiltshire. By meeting staff and talking to them he has been able to understand first-hand how the care they deliver is transforming lives.

"High profile patrons play an enormously important role in raising awareness of how Julia’s House can help families with life-limited children – and also the level of community support and fundraising needed to achieve this."

Other Julia’s House patrons include actor Martin Clunes, AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, film director Guy Ritchie and his wife, the model Jacqui Ainsley.

Julia’s House provides frequent respite and end-of-life care for families both in its Corfe Mullen-based hospice and in their own homes across Dorset and south Wiltshire.

It also organises social activities and support for parents and siblings. The charity is building a new hospice in Devizes, scheduled to open in Autumn 2017.