THIS week's total for the County Gazette-backed Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment (SURE) has skyrocketed after a massive donation of £12,500.

A donation of £20 was also sent in by June Jones, whose grandfather lost and eye to cancer, and Hazel Western of Rockwell Green, raised £100 through various fundraising events.

That puts the total raised since the County Gazette joined forces with SURE to £57,375.

SURE is aiming to raise £750,000 to provide diagnostic and treatment equipment for a new cancer centre, which is due to be built at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital later this year.

The want to my a CT simulator/ scanner which will be able to pinpoint the exact size and location to allow very precise treatment to be given, it will also pay for training and maintenance costs of the scanner for three years and for a room to be equipped for making lead masks to protect patients with cancer in their head.

SURE started fundraising back in 2000 and earlier this month they reached the £1/2million mark.