IT is impossible to overstate the importance of a top-quality service like the Ayrshire Hospice.

It's an unfortunate reality that every one of us probably knows someone who has been diagnosed with a serious illness. In an instant, lives are turned upside down and people are left to confront a cruel new reality.

It is at that critical point, in people's greatest moments of need, that the Ayrshire Hospice is there to lend a helping hand. 

When a health crisis strikes, when people are at their most vulnerable, often when they are struggling to come to terms with what's going on, the hospice is there to offer support.

We should never take for granted just how helpful it is to have a service like this on our doorstep. We are very lucky to have a charity that does such amazing work right here in Ayrshire. It is an essential part of the local community that we must cherish all year round, not only when we need their help.

I recently went along to the hospice myself to see the exceptional care they provide to people suffering life-limiting illnesses, such as late-stage cancer or heart disease, and the families of loved ones who are often left broken or bereaved. Their work truly is an inspiration.

Last year alone, 1,432 patients were supported by Ayrshire Hospice. What an extraordinary benefit the hospice must have been to all those families. 

But when I met the hospice's chief executive, Tracy Flynn, it became clear that the hospice is up against a lot of pressure to maintain that exceptional level of care.

They are facing the perfect storm of increased energy costs, higher running costs because of inflation, the need to increase staff wages, and a tougher fund-raising environment as everyone feels the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis.

There is much more the Scottish Government could be doing to help, and I made that case to the relevant minister recently in the Scottish Parliament.

But I fear the government does not grasp the urgency of the situation. It may take local action to help the hospice continue the incredible work it does each and every day.

We can all play our part in supporting Ayrshire Hospice by donating online, popping into one of their stores, attending fundraisers when we can, or organising individual fundraising events.

The more support we can give to the hospice, the more help they will be able to offer to those who really need it.