THE Brighter Futures team have issued a massive thank you to the generous Adver readers who have so far given a colossal £14,180 to the radiotherapy appeal.

Each Thursday, we tell the stories of people who have, either directly or indirectly, been affected by cancer. We hear the heart-wrenching tales of lives shattered by a cancer diagnosis, only to be told that they then have to make a 70-mile round trip to Oxford every day for radiotherapy treatment.

The remarkable thing is just how positive and upbeat most patients remain throughout. It is a testament to the human spirit and to the network of support each individual receives from friends and family.

We also hear from people so appalled by the indignity and stress of the journey that they routinely give up their time to do remarkable things to raise funds for the appeal – be it running a marathon or jumping out of an aeroplane at 10,000ft.

Seven months after we began running these extraordinary stories, a massive £14,000 has been raised from generous Adver readers sending in the donation form on the left hand side of the page.

Chloe Thomas, community and events fundraiser at Brighter Futures, said: “We never anticipated just how much would be raised from the donation form. On behalf of everyone at Brighter Futures I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who reads the Adver and has taken the time to sign the donation form and send it to us - we really do appreciate it.

“It makes such a big difference. It’s a huge amount to raise and we couldn’t have done it without the Adver readers helping us.

“It’s nice to know that the charity’s name is getting out there and people are happy to support it.”

Adver editor Gary Lawrence has been a firm backer of the appeal and was very keen to dedicate a weekly spread to raising funds.

He said: “When we first discussed highlighting the Brighter Futures campaign with the team at the Great Western Hospital we were confident our readers would rally round, and of course we were not disappointed.

“Everyone can see the vital need for a radiotherapy centre in Swindon to spare patients the journey to Oxford, and that is reflected in the generous response we’ve seen.

“Our readers have always had big hearts when it comes to giving to our appeals and this has been no exception.

“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated money, taken part in events or organised their own fundraisers, you are all wonderful. You epitomise what Swindon is all about.

“Of course there is still a way to go to get this scanner up and running and we’ll be continuing to urge our readers to support the appeal. So if anyone feels they can spare some cash, time or energy it will be hugely appreciated.”

So far £1,307,568 has been raised for Brighter Futures. The team is very grateful for every single donation and wish to thank everyone for their support. To donate you can cut out and send in the form printed in the Advertiser every Thursday or log on to www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk