Cancer survivor's lunch raises £16,500 for hospital

Carol Collier (front left) presented the cheque of £16,500 to consultant Stephen Goh (front right) at Peterborough City Hospital

A breast cancer survivor has helped raise £16,500 for her local NHS trust.

Carol Collier organised a lunch earlier this year, proceeds from which were handed over to Peterborough City Hospital (PCH).

Various businesses, including Anne Corder Recruitment, Buckles Solicitors, The Holiday Inn Peterborough West, The Phoenix Group and Your Local Magazine sponsored the charity lunch.

North West Anglia Foundation NHS Trust (NWAFT), which runs PCH, said the team was "incredibly grateful".

According to the trust, one in seven women are diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Research shows that screening - used to find breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel - saves on average one life for every 200 women.

Ms Collier started the annual event in 2015, after she was treated for breast cancer at PCH following diagnosis from a routine mammogram.

Last year her fundraising efforts hit the £100,000 mark, with patients beneffiting from services including a specialised tattoo machine, refurbished clinic rooms, refurbished mobile breast screening van, and staff development to provide a breast pain clinic in the community at Doddington Hospital.

Ms Collier said she wanted to "give back" to the hospital for their "excellent care".

"I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people who have attended the annual lunch over the years - and to surpass the £100,000 milestone last year was incredible," she said.

Breast care nurse specialist Claire Hall said: "We are incredibly grateful to Carol and all the amazing women who attend and support the lunch year after year - which also offers an important platform to help raise awareness of breast cancer."