A NEW breast cancer treatment centre has been officially opened at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

On Friday, patients and staff celebrated the ribbon cutting at the Evergreen Suite, a new addition to the Bolton Breast Care Unit.

A £160,000 refurbishment of an empty building across the road from the original unit included work to create a new waiting area, a staff room, offices and a doctors' library.

The new suite will serve women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer and will be used for family history clinics, providing patients with results, post surgery and reconstruction consultations and wound care.

Consultant surgeon Angela Volleamere said the expansion will also allow more patients to be seen and waiting times to be reduced.

The Evergreen Suite will also complement the Bolton Breast Care Unit's Sunflower Suite, where women receive mammograms and ultrasounds. The refurbishment was paid for by the trust which runs the hospital, but home comforts like televisions, comfortable chairs and artwork are not included.

Money for the extras was donated by current and former patients, along with fundraising by local community organisations, including successful disco nights and raffles.

Those who donated were invited to celebrate the opening with doctors and nurses.

Andrea McCann, breast services nurse manager: "We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us in providing this lovely new unit.

"We have had donations from £20 to £2,000 from ladies who have been affected by breast cancer and from local groups who have organised events and activities to raise money. We have used some of that for some enhancements already but we also want to hear from patients about what else they would have liked during their treatment or what they would want for other people."