BUILDING work has begun on a cancer centre in Cheltenham after £2 million was raised to fund the project.

The first Maggie's Centre outside London will open next year providing help for people with the disease in Gloucestershire.

Yesterday, the town's mayor Lloyd Surgenor and Maggie's supporters gathered to celebrate the start of the work in the grounds of Cheltenham General Hospital.

The building, currently a Grade II-listed old lodge, in College Road, is a stone's throw away from the Oncology Department.

In April 2007, an appeal was launched to raise £3m for the Maggie's Cotswolds centre which will offer support such as benefits and nutrition advice alongside counselling, art groups, yoga and other classes.

Since then, £2m has been raised by donations, charity events and other activities to help the facility become a reality. More work is ongoing to find a further £1m to cover the running cots for the first two years.

Maggie's chief executive, Laura Lee, said: "It is so exciting to be at this pivotal stage in Maggie's history, as we break ground on Maggie's Cotswolds at Cheltenham General Hospital.

"We have been successfully fundraising in the region for a few years and it is great that supporters from across the Cotswolds can now witness the fruition of all their hard work.

"We have been constantly inspired by stories of local people who been affected by cancer, who have helped us to raise our profile, and I would like to say thank you to all of them for being such wonderful ambassadors for Maggie's."

Grandmother Judith Thomson, from Cheltenham, who had breast cancer, is a Maggie's supporter and she said the centre would make a real difference.

"During my treatment and recovery I met several people who had struggled with their fears, feelings and what to tell family and friends," she said. "How great it will be that our new Maggie's Centre will give reassurance and support both to the patient and to family and friends."

Designed by architect Sir Richard MacCormac CBE, Maggie's Cotswolds will be the second centre in England following the opening of Maggie's London in April 2008.

It will also be the first built under the charity's Joy of Living Fundraising Campaign whose patron is Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife Sarah Brown. Launched two years ago, its aim was to raise £15m to build five centres across England and Wales.

Sir Richard MacCormac CBE, of MJP Architects, said: "I am delighted that the Cotswolds Maggie's Centre has started on site.

"It is exciting to see the building being built thanks to everyone's fundraising efforts. This is a unique facility, which I'm sure will be well-used and appreciated by everybody affected by cancer in the local area."

Visit www.maggiescentres.org for further information on Maggie's Centres.