FUNDRAISING for a new state of the art cancer centre is on track after the appeal hit the £3 million mark thanks to the generosity of the public.

The Christie charity is aiming to raise £23 million towards the cost of the new centre at Macclesfield, which will transform cancer care in East Cheshire, providing Christie care closer to home for more than 1,500 existing patients a year.

Head of fundraising at The Christie charity, Louise Stimson said: “This is a fantastic start to our fundraising for The Christie at Macclesfield.

“I am very encouraged by the amazing support and generosity of local people for this vital project.

“So many people have told us why they are passionate about bringing The Christie to Macclesfield.

“There will be hundreds of fundraising activities and events in 2020 giving people the opportunity to get involved with and support the appeal.

“We’d love as many people as possible from East Cheshire and beyond to help us achieve our goal.”

Dr Andrew Sykes, lead consultant for the project said: “I can’t say a big enough thank you to everyone who has already helped us to raise £3 million so far.

“Not only will the new centre provide world class cancer care closer to home for patients but it will also enable us to improve patient treatments.

“For example, patients who we know will get a better outcome by having both chemotherapy and radiotherapy on the same day will be able to get this at the same site in Macclesfield and we will be doing frailty assessments to provide extra support for any older patients who need it to enable them to successfully complete their course of treatment.”

The new centre will bring together essential cancer services into one purpose-built unit delivering local specialist access to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, holistic support and information services, outpatient care, palliative care, and a wider range of clinical trials.

While some cancer care is currently available in Macclesfield, many patients travel to The Christie in South Manchester for their appointments.

For some patients this can mean a journey time of two hours, which puts tremendous pressure on patients and their families at an already stressful time.

The new centre will accommodate around 40,000 patient visits each year for existing patients from areas of Cheshire, North Staffordshire and the High Peak area of Derbyshire.

Planning for the new centre has taken into account East Cheshire’s ageing population and the predicted increase in demand for specialist cancer services in future years.

Work on the two-storey building is expected to begin in May 2020 with the aim of opening during autumn 2021.

For details of how you can support The Christie at Macclesfield fundraising appeal go to christies.org/macclesfield