Last year in Milton Keynes more than 4,000 people were told the devastating news they had cancer.   

Milton Keynes is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and at its current locations on site, cancer services at Milton Keynes University Hospital are stretched to capacity with a cramped waiting room and at times long waits to be seen.  

At the heart of all this is the extra pressure placed on the patient and their family during an already anxious and stressful time, resulting in lengthy journeys and disjointed care away from their local area.  

A new cancer centre means the hospital can better support each and every cancer patient. We will be able to provide most of the cancer services they need in an excellent environment close to their homes catering for our patients and their families, too. The new Milton Keynes Cancer Centre will be a dedicated space offering treatment and a wide range of information and support services to anyone affected by cancer, all within a comfortable and welcoming environment.    

The centre is costing £15m to build, and we now need to raise the final £2.5m. This will not replace NHS funding but will be used to provide supporting facilities and to make sure this is an exemplar of good practice, and a centre worthy of the people of Milton Keynes.    

We can do all this, but we can’t do it alone. We know that this is a once in a generation chance to make huge progress in the fight against cancer, which is why we are calling on the people who live in our area to get behind it. We want to do the best we can now for patients in the future, so that in years to come, our children and their children will have access to excellent cancer treatment.  

We are embarking on a journey to change cancer care for the better, by expanding our services to reflect the growing population we serve – and we’d love you to be a part of it.