Supporters raise half amount needed for Zoe’s Place in weeks, with local celebrities including Steven Gerrard matching pledges

A city-wide fundraising drive is under way in Liverpool after a unique baby hospice which has supported thousands of families in the region was threatened with closure.

Zoe’s Place, a charity that cares for children with life-limiting conditions from birth to the age of five, announced that it had just weeks to raise the £5m needed to fund a new building, with the lease on its current site set to expire.