The campaign to raise £4m to build Douglas House has been underway for nearly nine months.

A total of £600,000 is now in the pot and scores of fundraising events are planned for the summer. Campaign organisers are also in the process of applying to several foundations and award-making organisations in a bid for extra money.

The project is the brainchild of Sister Frances Dominica, pictured left, formerly Mother Superior at All Saints' Convent, based in east Oxford.

Eighteen years ago Sister Frances founded Helen House, the first children's hospice in the world. Douglas House will be pioneering in its own way and will be the first of its kind to be opened for people aged between 16 and 40.

Sister Frances heads a busy fundraising team which is working tirelessly to raise money for the campaign, at the Douglas House office in St Mary's Road, Cowley.

It's easy to understand the frustration Sister Frances feels.

For years she has seen the need for a hospice to be built to provide tailor-made facilities for terminally-ill young people.

Plans have been drawn up, permission granted and people are ready to move in at the drop of a hat.

The only problem is that it will be months before Sister Frances' dream can even start becoming a reality.

She explains: "We are well on the way now and we know that Douglas House will happen, but we just have to be prepared to wait.

"You can't raise that sort of money overnight - much as we might like to.

"To build Helen House we had to raise £400,000, which was a lot of money then, but we largely did it without large grants from trust funds or foundations. In fact, Helen House was built thanks to countless donations made by individuals who wanted to support us.

"We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Douglas House appeal so far and know we will get there in the end."

Sister Frances and Catherine Wilson, public relations co-ordinator at Helen House, regularly visit schools and organisations all over the country to talk about the project.

They want more people to understand how important it is that Douglas House is built sooner rather than later.

Read about one of the people benefiting from the house