IPSWICH: A golden wedding couple asked guests at their anniversary party to help a hospice treating their terminally ill daughter, instead of giving them presents.

Arthur and Pat Fuller celebrated the landmark on April 9 with a party with family and friends at Marlborough Bowls Club in Ipswich.

The couple, of Westminster Close, Ipswich, asked guests to make donations to St Elizabeth Hospice where their daughter Ann Woolner is being treated for bowel cancer.

Mr and Mrs Fuller handed over a cheque for �245 to staff at the hospice and have also collected a further �65 which is also to be given to the hospice.

Mrs Fuller, 78, said: “We decided a long time ago that we didn’t want any presents, we wanted to help the hospice.

“The staff there have been excellent and so supportive. They have helped Ann at every step of the way.

“We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who made donations – hopefully the money will make a positive difference.”

Mrs Woolner, 46, has been visiting the hospice for over a year and has had chemotherapy treatment there.

Mrs Woolner, a mother-of-one, only found out what her parents had done yesterday and said she was delighted by the gesture.

Mr Fuller, 80, added: “Even though her cancer is terminal and Ann doesn’t know how much longer she has to live, she has remained upbeat.

“We really value the hospice and the staff there and just hope the money will help them carry on their good work.

“We had a lovely wedding anniversary and have had a good life together. A happy marriage is all about give and take.”