A Salford-based firm has given a boost to the Advertiser's appeal to raise £250,000 towards the new £17 million Christie radiotherapy centre being built at Salford Royal.

Paper products manufacturer, SCA Hygiene Products UK Ltd., recently handed over a cheque for £4,479 after months of fundraising efforts. This included taking part in a 140 foot abseil at Manchester United's Old Trafford ground, along with colleagues based at their Trafford Park paper mill.

SCA is one of the world's leading consumer hygiene and tissue product manufacturers with a regional head office in Salford Quays.

The Christie charity teamed up with the Salford Advertiser newspaper to raise a quarter of a million pounds for the centre which will open in 2011.

HR Assistant Lucy Fisher, who is also currently chairperson of SCA's Charity Committee, said; "The Christie has touched everyone at SCA in some way over the years and we are thrilled to be able to give something back to this great charity which is so important to the North West community. We are very proud to have raised money for an appeal which will help cancer patients right here in Salford."

Corporate fundraising officer at the Christie charity, Emma Kennedy, said; "This is a fantastic boost to our appeal and we are so grateful to everyone at SCA for this generous donation.

"This new Christie radiotherapy centre in Salford will really make a difference to the lives of cancer patients in Salford, Wigan and Bolton as they will be able to access first class radiotherapy treatments from Christie experts, but much closer to home.

"We want to encourage many more firms from across Salford to get on board."

As well as treating patients for the most common cancers like breast, bowel and lung, this special development will also be a national centre of excellence for treating brain conditions. It will be equipped to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery, a highly specialised neurosurgical technique for brain cancers - making it one of only a handful of such centres in the UK. Currently patients from Greater Manchester have to travel to Sheffield for this treatment.

The first Christie radiotherapy centre is opening in Oldham in 2010.

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