A NEW charity aims to raise £20million for Glasgow's top cancer centre.

The Beatson Charity has pledged to generate cash for ground-breaking treatments, patient support services and extra staff.

It brings together the two existing Beatson charities, Friends of the Beatson Charity and Beatson Oncology Centre Fund.

David Welch, chief executive of the new venture, said: "If you look at the Royal Marsden in London they are bringing in £12m to £15m a year, yet in Glasgow we have the UK's busiest cancer centre and are not doing nearly enough to raise funds or the profile of the Beatson.

"The two existing charities both do well but people have come to realise that if we bring the two charities together we can achieve much more ambitious things for the hospital.

"The launch is a significant step in the fight against cancer in the West of Scotland."

The charity plans to make the Beatson one of the world's leading cancer centres and bring in funds to enhance its services.

Through longer-term research it will also enhance treatments and outcomes for the 8000 new patients treated there each year.

The lead centre for non-surgical cancer care in Scotland, the Beatson serves half of the Scottish population and more than £800,000 a year is already committed to funding 19 posts, including nursing, radiography, physics and research-based staff.

The charity has announced new initiatives, including extra funding for a melan-oma clinical nurse specialist due to growing demand from skin cancer patients.

It will pay for a family bereavement support service to provide more emotional care and administrative help.

There will be a welcome service for patients and visitors on arrival at the Beatson and expansion of the complementary therapy services.

Consultant radiologist Karen Moore's post is already funded by the charity.

Karen, who has worked at the Beatson for 20 years, said: "I work as part of a fantastic team that is under constant pressure with the number of patients who come to see us. There just isn't time to be undertake research and training outwith the hospital.

"My role is to learn new techniques and bring that knowledge back into the Beatson and share it.

"It's this kind of thing that will make the hospital cutting edge and why we are excited to have the Beatson Charity supporting us."

More than one in three people in the West of Scotland are affected by cancer - the highest rate in Europe.

David added: "We want to make the Beatson one of the best known cancer centres in the world.

"But to do this we hope to attract the attention of Scottish people around the globe and make an impact on an international level."

catriona.stewart@eveningtimes.co.uk