THE fight against cancer came to the town centre on Friday in the form of a pop up donation stand and tombola laid on by the staff from Cancer Research UK.

Cancer charities have always had a special place in the public’s hearts, given how many people are affected by the illness every year.

But since the start of the Stand Up To Cancer campaign, that support has gained an even greater momentum with people drawn towards the powerful message it creates.

The team from the Havelock Street branch were up early on Friday morning to set up their stall, passers-by took time to chat, to put money in the buckets and to guess the size of a fantastic cake baked especially for the occasion.

Shop manager Ali Marshall, wearing a striking orange wig to catch the attention of shoppers, said: “We’ve got a tombola and this morning we had cakes in the shop – they were really popular and they’re nearly gone now.

It’s going really well, people have been absolutely amazing.

“They see the t-shirts and the orange hair and they come over – everyone knows someone who has been affected by cancer.

“Sometimes they just want to talk, we’re a support network as well as a shop – people share their stories with us.

“It can be a lot sometimes, often we end up in tears because it really hits you. But you’ve just got to take yourself to one side and then get back to it.”

The shop team were helped on the stall by a team of volunteers who had given up their free time to help make the most of their fundraising day.

A visit from the Swindon Town youth team gave an added boost to the afternoon’s efforts, with their presence on the stand helping to draw in even more interest.

Mary Gunner, assistant shop manager, said: “Last year it was just me with a collection tin outside the station and it didn’t really work, so we thought this time why not put on something bigger in the town centre.

“All the businesses have been really good to us and we’ve been asking our customers if they mind us putting items in the tombola instead of selling them.

“Together we’re all really making a difference.”