A local charity is looking for volunteers to take over from their ageing members.

Friends of Robert Owen House, which has been running for 25 years, raises funds for a house next to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital for relatives and carers of patients.

It is especially valuable to people travelling from the Isle of Man, who have further to travel than most, and means they don’t need to find a B&B or hotel.

Over the past 25 years the charity has raised £25,000 per year, with a grand total of £650,000 for the house.

The house operates on a B&B basis, with a nightly charge of £25 and comprises 17 comfortable en-suite bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a laundry area.

Patron June Young, who has been involved since the very start, recently had her 80th birthday and is stepping down.

June, from Ballaugh, used the Robert Owen House when her late husband David was in the hospital with heart problems 25 years ago and explained why the location and facilities were so useful.

June said: ‘My late husband had heart problems and I was able to stay in the house that had newly opened.

‘It had only been open a short while and it was so convenient because you could literally walk across, it’s so close [to the hospital].

‘The patients are being cared for but the carers also need support.

‘I had a phone in my room at the house that connected me to the ward, so if I wanted to know anything, or the nurses wanted me, then I could be straight across the road day or night.’

When staying at the house June met people from the Isle of Man, and they wanted to come together collectively to say thank you.

She said: ‘I met people there from the island, even my Sunday school teacher!

‘There were about five or six of us in the charity and we all kept in touch, because we were all there for the same reason.

‘We all decided that we wanted to do a thank you to this house, so that’s what we did.’

The first Friends of Robert Owen House fundraiser was a book sale in Ramsey, where June, her husband David and the rest of the group sold various Manx books.

In 1998, David died, and June said that focusing on the charity was important for her.

She said: ‘I needed to focus on something, and I thought well we’ve done the book sale, we’ll do another.’

Since then the charity group has raised a substantial amount of money per year, putting on various events such as coffee mornings, bike rides, fairs and concerts, with the funds assisting with the ongoing operational costs of the House and its staff.

The charity is in need of more committee members as some of the current team are stepping back after years of work, and June is hopeful people will join.

She said: ‘Whoever is interested we will stay on, guide you and show you the ropes.’

‘Those interested in supporting this valuable facility can contact me on 460789.’