THE MALMESBURY League of Friends has presented a £25,000 donation to the Great Western Hospital radiotherapy appeal.

The Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal received the second donation from the MLOF, bring the appeal total to over £400,000.

The group from Malmesbury made its first donation of £25,000 in June of last year, just after Brighter Futures launched its appeal to raise £2.9million to fund equipment for the new radiotherapy unit at GWH in Swindon.

Robin Clark, chairman of the MLOF, said: “The Radiotherapy Appeal is a wholly worthy cause which we are very happy to support. We know that there are many people living in the Malmesbury area who have to travel the 110-mile round trip to Oxford on a daily basis while undergoing radiotherapy treatment and we know how tiring and stressful it can be for them and their families.”

Arun Desai travelled from Malmesbury to Oxford for five days a week to receive 20 radiotherapy treatments for prostate cancer.

Mr Desai said: “Making the journey to Oxford would take me at least an hour each way and the effects of the radiotherapy treatment meant I had to make frequent toilet stops. It was a tiring and stressful experience, although the Churchill Hospital did everything they could to make the treatment times convenient for me.”

Jennifer Green, head of fundraising for Brighter Futures, has said that the hospital appeal is grateful to Malmesbury League of Friends for making the second donation.

Mrs Green said: “We now need more local people, businesses and organisations to get behind our appeal. Bringing cancer care closer to home will make a massive difference to so many families.”

Malmesbury League of Friends provides funds to help local people with specific medical needs. The money the group give to a variety of good causes comes from fundraising, donations and legacies.

For more information on Brighter Futures you can call 01793 605631 or visit www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk.