A TAUNTON resident has raised just over £1,500 for the Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment campaign.

With help from friends, Pat Morgan, of Taunton, organised a garden cream team tea party, which raised just over £600 on the day, and the remaining funds came from raffle ticket sales, and donations from family and friends, bringing the grand total to £1,535.

Pat, who recently began radiotherapy at Exeter hospital, said: "This is truly a worthy cause, it will be such a relief for the people of Somerset to have the new oncology centre open, with access to state of the art radiotherapy equipment."

Other donations this week include £115 from the Children's and Young People's Unit of Somerset County Council, and £70 from former County Gazette reporter, Claire Ward-Willis.

A special thanks also goes out to an anonymous West Country donor who sent in £250, bringing this week's total to £1,970, and the grand total since the County Gazette joined forces with SURE to £71,031.

SURE fundraisers have so far collected over £500,000 towards providing a scanner, simulator and other equipment for a mask-making room.

They hope to raise £750,000.