The Swindon Evening Advertiser has upped a cancer appeal target to £1m after meeting the original £600,000 target a year ahead of schedule.

Two years ago the paper asked readers to help it raise the funds for the Swindon Cancer Appeal by March 2006.

The cash will fund specialist Macmillan Cancer Relief nurses in the town who will help bring comfort to cancer patients and their families.

The achievement was made possible through the hard work of fundraisers, local companies, organisations, schools, and fundraising committees.

The Swindon Cancer Appeal is now hoping to raise another £400,000 to take the fundraising total to £1m.

The extension to the appeal will help to fund a training post for a Macmillan specialist breast care cancer nurse and another for a Macmillan specialist gastrointestinal cancer nurse. It will also fund a Macmillan clinical psychologist in cancer and palliative care, as well as providing patient grants, which are designed to help those who may have suffered financial difficulties as a result of their cancers.

Appeal manager Graziella Campisano said: "Raising £600,000 is a massive achievement in such a short time and it's amazing to see how the people of Swindon have got behind our campaign."

Editor Mark Waldron said: "In March 2003 we set out to raise £600,000 for Macmillan in three years. So it is amazing that our incredibly generous readers have achieved that in less than two."

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