AN early Christmas present of nearly £9,000 was handed over to the Action for Breast Cancer Appeal by staff at the Review and Observer.

Staff at the newspaper have been busy raising funds since the summer through events including a chest waxing, cake sale and the raffling off of a day off work. Funds were swelled by a ladies' lunch and auction held in October. This event alone raised more than £5,000.

Advertising staff produced a special four-page feature and gave half of all the money raised to the appeal.

Mankit Yau, head of fundraising for the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We would not have made the progress we have achieved without the help of the Review and Observer.

"We do not have the resources to go out and tell people about it and the Review and Observer's campaign has helped us to do that.

"The support has been totally fantastic and it has really helped bring out the local community.

"The campaign has taken the message out to the people of and I have been inundated with requests from people wanting fundraising packs.

"The people who have found out about the campaign through the paper are really behind it."

Fundraiser Pam Scarff will be looking to swell the coffers when she joins staff from BBC Three Counties Radio for a carol singing session in Bricket Wood.

The group will be knocking on doors and rattling buckets around the village on December 10.

Mrs Scarff was also due to draw a raffle at City Hospital today with all the proceeds going to the appeal.

The wheelchair-bound pensioner said she felt she had to act after reading about the campaign in this paper.

She added: "I just felt it was a really good cause. The carol singing should be fun and we hope to raise a lot more money.

"I just hope the weather is okay on the day."

Mr Yau added: "We wanted to set up the best clinic we could and we have gone out and bought the latest machines so patients get the best care possible.

"All the money raised will help pay for these machines.

"In the next year alone we will get around 6,000 GP referrals of which around ten per cent will have breast cancer.

"That is more than 50 people each month hearing the worst news possible."

The Review and Observer is encouraging readers to help raise more than £260,000 for equipment at the new state-of-the-art breast cancer clinic at City Hospital.

People from across Hertfordshire will benefit from the £500,000 clinic, which provides specialist treatment for breast cancer patients from their first referral right the way through to life-saving surgery and aftercare.

In December the Review and Observer is producing a charity calendar featuring players from both Old Albanians Rugby Club and Saints Rugby club.

More details will be printed in the next few weeks.

10:04am Monday 5th December 2005

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