Work Starts On Teenage Cancer Unit

A turf cutting ceremony's taking place later to mark the start of construction of a Teenage Cancer Trust unit for young patients at Southampton General Hospital.

An audience including donors and former young cancer patients, who helped with the design of the unit, will be welcomed to the hospital building site to celebrate the milestone.

Updated architect plans and artist impressions of the state-of-the-art unit will be revealed alongside the announcement that Teenage Cancer Trust’s Southampton fundraising appeal has now raised a staggering £2million.

The construction and maintenance of the ten bed unit and the services it provides will cost Teenage Cancer Trust £2.4million.

As the charity relies on public donations to fund all of its vital work, a further £400,000 urgently needs to be raised before the unit becomes operational in summer 2013.

Further funds will then need to be raised after this date for the on-going maintenance and services the unit will provide.

The Teenage Cancer Trust unit will support young cancer patients aged 16 to 24 living in Hampshire, Dorset, Channel Islands, South Wiltshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex.

The opening of the unit will mean for the first time young patients will be treated with others their own age in an environment suited to their needs.

The unit will feature six en-suite inpatient bedrooms, which are large enough to let family or friends to stay overnight, four day care spaces, social and recreation areas with a kitchen and dining area plus a parent/family sitting room.