Joseph Holt's Brewery recently handed over its latest donation of £125,000 - marking the halfway milestone of their pledge to raise a quarter of a million pounds to help bring The Christie to Salford.

Manchester-based Holt's Brewery decided to raise a quarter of a million pounds to help fund the reception area at the new Christie radiotherapy centre currently being built at Salford Royal.

Chief executive of Joseph Holt's Brewery Richard Kershaw, who is busy gearing up for a charity cycling challenge, said; "I am delighted that we have reached this fantastic milestone in a matter of months.

"This is testament to the tremendous work that The Christie does throughout this region, the generosity of our customers and demonstrates how our licensees have really got behind this fundraising effort."

Richard is planning to cycle more than 1,100 miles from Lands End to John O'Groats via the Isles of Arran, Mull, Skye and Lewis in aid of the Christie charity in May. He says his incentive is to beat the £20,000 his great grandfather Sir Edward Holt raised in 1918 to help form the Holt Radium Institute. Operations manager at Holt's Mark Norbury is also running the London Marathon for the Christie charity in April.

Holt's, who have supported The Christie for almost 100 years, asked staff and customers at its 130 pubs, free houses and clubs to organise fundraising events. For every £1 raised for the appeal, the company will give a £2 donation from its charitable trusts - The Edward Holt and Peter Kershaw trusts. The Mort Arms in Tyldsley have raised the most so far, donating £4,617 through a 24-hour darts marathon, sponsored leg waxing and posing for a 'Calendar Girls' style calendar.

Head of corporate fundraising at The Christie charity Gerald Deslandes, said; "We are incredibly grateful to all Holt's staff and customers, who have embraced this fundraising challenge so wholeheartedly.

"To reach this halfway milestone so quickly is tremendous. Holt's Brewery has supported The Christie for almost a century and we are delighted that this very special partnership with our charity continues to grow."

The Holt Radium Institute amalgamated with The Christie in 1932 to form The Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute.

Opening in 2011, the new centre at Salford will be the second in a unique network of Christie radiotherapy centres designed to bring first-class cancer treatment closer to people's homes. The first radiotherapy centre opens in Oldham in March.

The Salford radiotherapy centre will treat up to 70 patients a day from Salford, Wigan and Bolton. It will also provide a highly specialised neurosurgical technique for brain cancers - making it one of only a handful of such centres in the UK.

To sponsor Richard please visit www.justgiving.com/LEJOGFORLECHRISTIE

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