AN Army commander has become an ambassador for Julia’s House, the Dorset and Wiltshire Children’s Hospices.

Colonel James Denny MBE, Commander of Tidworth, Netheravon and Bulford, the Army’s biggest UK garrison, said he was “extremely proud” to be an ambassador and add his voice to the charity’s plans to build a children’s hospice in Wiltshire.

He said:” I very strongly support the vital work that Julia's House does in caring for families at a very traumatic period in their lives.

“Julia’s House is now very close to realising its goal of building a hospice in Wiltshire in order to deliver the much needed county-wide cover and care for families with life-limited children but they still need your assistance to reach their target.”

Col Denny, whose distinguished Army career has taken him all over the world, is married with two grown-up children.

He will join the charity’s four other Wiltshire Ambassadors: Paola Campari-Moss , whose daughter Chiara was the first child in the county to be cared for by Julia’s House; Rosemary Macdonald and William Wyldbore-Smith of the Wiltshire Community Foundation and Dr Rowena Staples, consultant paediatrician for palliative care and oncology at Salisbury Hospital.

Julia’s House currently has a small care team offering community-based respite to families living in south Wiltshire. It plans to build a hospice in central Wiltshire – in the Devizes area – within the next two years from which to roll out county-wide care.

It is inviting local support for the new hospice through fundraising, volunteering and donations. To find out more please visit juliashouse.org or call the Julia’s House Wiltshire office on 01980 677105.