Hope for Tomorrow, the charity which put the world’s first mobile chemotherapy unit on the road, is to launch its first vehicle in Wiltshire this week.

The launch on Thursday will be performed by former motor racing commentator Murray Walker who has supported the charity over a number of years.

The new Wiltshire unit is named in memory of Kayleigh Louise Wicks from Christian Malford who lost her battle against cancer last year, aged 23.

Her parents Angie and Kev Wicks said: “We are delighted that Hope for Tomorrow have named the new unit in memory of our beloved daughter Kayleigh. We are inspired by the work of the charity bringing cancer care for patients closer to home.

“We are sure it will make life easier for so many people, the charity does fantastic work and we are pleased to support it in any way we can.”

The new unit, to be operated by NHS staff and maintained by Hope for Tomorrow, will allow patients to be treated near to their homes, saving long distance travel and cutting waiting times.

Each mobile chemotherapy unit costs Hope for Tomorrow £250,000 to build and maintain for three years and can give up to 3,000 chemotherapy treatments a year, saving patients thousands of miles of travel whilst reducing their fuel costs and time taken out of the day for treatment.

Christine Mills, who founded the charity, said: “I am delighted that we are launching our first mobile chemotherapy unit in Wiltshire, its taken lots of planning and fundraising to get it here and I know the people of Wiltshire will benefit enormously from the services the unit provides."

Kayleigh’s school friends helped with the fundraising holding a gala evening to raise funds for Hope for Tomorrow. They have to date raised in excess of £5,800 and a number of her friends will be at the launch.

Caspar Ridley, chief executive for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The new mobile chemotherapy unit is an exciting new development that will give people from further afield the opportunity to receive treatment closer to their home. I know that many people and organisations have been involved in this initiative, yet this would not have been possible without the major support from Hope for Tomorrow, Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire.”

Jonathan Cullis, consultant haematologist at Salisbury District Hospital, said: "The mobile chemotherapy unit will provide a friendly and quiet environment where suitable patients who currently travel long distances for chemotherapy and related treatments on the Pembroke Suite can have this nearer to their home.

“In the first few weeks patients and staff will be able to familiarise themselves with the new unit which will initially operate from the Salisbury District Hospital site before it becomes fully mobile and used in other locations in North Wiltshire, West Hampshire and North Dorset."

Maggie Rae, corporate director of public health and public protection, NHS Wiltshire and Wiltshire Council, said: “We are delighted that Hope for Tomorrow has been able to provide a mobile chemotherapy unit for Wiltshire, and that we have been able to contribute to getting it launched by Salisbury Foundation Trust. Bringing safe and effective treatment closer to home is a key objective for our work in cancer, and the Unit is a significant advance in this area.’

Murray Walker said: "I am sure that this new unit is going to make life easier for so many cancer sufferers in Wiltshire. Hope for Tomorrow brought us the world’s first mobile unit, cancer is bad enough but having to travel miles for treatment when in a concerned state of mind must make things seem infinitely worse. Having a mobile chemotherapy unit close at hand will generate peace of mind and make things so much easier to cope with.”

Former top motor racing star Sir Stirling Moss, patron, said: “The mobile units we are raising money to buy are a fantastic way of easing the stress for cancer patients. It gives them the opportunity to get their treatment in a calm, relaxed and intimate atmosphere without the hassle of traveling sometimes hundreds of miles to their nearest treatment base.”