Charitable health care providers such as Manorlands are being hit hard in the current economic situation.

One simple way to ease their financial burden would be allowing the hospice to reclaim VAT. This is not asking for special treatment — it would put them in line with limited companies, local authorities and parts of the NHS, which can all reclaim VAT.

Nationally, Sue Ryder Care, which runs Manorlands, believes this year, due to the recent VAT rise, it will lose £1 million. That is nothing short of scandalous.

Manorlands needs to raise £1.2 million through donations to help pay its £2.1 million running costs.

MP Kris Hopkins has been appointed a “national champion” of the Sue Ryder Care campaign. He is asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, to look at the issue in the hope he will announce a change in the budget on March 23.

As the Sue Ryder charity says, under the Big Society idea, charities will start delivering more high-quality innovative and cost-effective public services.

This is a “no-brainer” for the Chancellor. To encourage more people to sign up to the Big Society, they need to know that every penny of the hard-earned cash they give goes on services and not lost in tax.

Please do whatever you can to support this worthy cause. We are.