A mobile chemotherapy unit will ease the burden on cancer patients by visiting Calne once a week.

Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been provided with the state-of-the-art unit by the cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow.

It will be in Calne one day a week and around eight patients a day can benefit from treatment closer to home.

Cancer charity volunteer Jim Laing said the new unit, which was launched on Monday at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, will save patients hours of time and money in travel costs.

It is a burden Mr Laing, of Wessington Park, knows only too well, as he had to travel to Cardiff for 15-minute radiotherapy treatments every day for six weeks after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He said: “It’s more convenient to have it locally, that goes without saying. What is less obvious is how it will reduce the strain on a patient’s wife or husband who would normally struggle.

“It will not only benefit the patient, it will benefit the patients’ family and friends too.”

Since his treatment, Mr Laing, has been raising money and awareness for cancer charity Topic of Cancer, which conducts research into cancer immunology.

He said: “If you’re self-employed, for instance, time is money – you can lose a day or half a day of income for treatment. I am absolutely convinced this is a good thing, having local facilities of this nature will make a big big difference.

“It’s a really great thing, not every county has such a facility but now Wiltshire has two.”

The new unit, to be operated by NHS staff from Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and maintained by Hope for Tomorrow, should allow patients to be treated near to their homes, save long-distance travel and cut waiting times.

Helen Winter, lead chemotherapy nurse at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very grateful to Hope for Tomorrow for providing another fantastic facility, which will make an enormous difference to our patients, giving people more choice and convenience.”

Retired navy submarine commander, Captain Dan Conley, cut the ribbon to launch the new unit which is named Linda after his late wife who was a Wiltshire councillor.