A long serving councillor has received some positive news in his battle against against cancer.

Astley Bridge councillor, Paul Wild, has been battling bowel and liver cancer for the last two years, receiving treatment from The Christie hospital, Manchester, over this time.

However, earlier this year he was told that his first round of chemotherapy had not worked and tragically on the same day, February 3, his wife also died from a heart attack.

But after many more months of treatment at The Christie hospital, Cllr Wild received the positive news on Wednesday September 9 that his cancer had reduced in size and that he would not require any more treatment over the next three months.

Cllr Wild said: "This is probably the best news I could have expected.

"If I could have written the script about how I wanted the meeting with the consultant to go word for word that would have been it.

"It was very good news for me. It was really wonderful."

Cllr Wild would receive more good news the same day when colleague and close friend, Cllr Hilary Fairclough, told him that she would be donating £2,500 to The Christie hospital from the Mayoral fund she collected whilst Mayor and from "some old cook books that had been donated to raise extra funds" as a thanks for what the staff had done for him and another councillor colleague, Tonge with the Haulgh councillor, Martyn Donaghy.

Cllr Wild said: "It was a big surprise for me when she said she was going to donate that.

"She worked really hard throughout the whole year she was Mayor for it and it was very moving when she told me about it.

"We are really close friends as well as colleagues and she knows everything I've been through.

"Raising money is even more important for charities at the moment as they can't raise it through activities themselves and it's been a very challenging time for The Christie.

"I was very happy to give it to Dr Wasat Mansoor and I could sense a tear in his eye when I gave him the cheque.

"I said to him you have given me some very good news and I want to give you some too.

"When I told him it was a cheque for £2,500 from the Mayor of Bolton he nearly fell over. He is a top man."

Cllr Wild said he has received amazing support from his two boys, colleagues and his residents during this difficult time.

"I have had wonderful support from people who I have not spoken to for some time and received some really nice letters," he said.

The councillor said he is happy to be returning and will be trying to do as much as he can for his residents as he continues to recover over the coming months