ARK Cancer Centre Charity’s £5m fundraising appeal has reached a landmark after a five-figure donation by Basingstoke Deane Rotarians took it past the £1m milestone.

The charity is raising money toward a unique cancer treatment centre that will help and support people in the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area, which includes Alton.

In January, the charity was one of the beneficiaries of this year’s annual Basingstoke Deane Rotary Club charity concert starring the Band of her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Collingwood – and Rotary Club President Paul Temple had a special presentation for Ark Cancer Centre Charity trustee Merv Rees.

Handing over a cheque for £10,000 to Merv in front of a sellout audience at The Anvil in Basingstoke, Paul said: “The Rotary Club is proud to support many local good causes, but we felt there was a standout case for supporting one charity above all others this year, and we have focused a lot of our fundraising towards Ark Cancer Centre Charity.”

Merv thanked Paul and his fellow Rotarians for their amazing support. And the additional good news is that the donation will be doubled to £20,000 because it is being made through Greenham Common Trust’s ‘findmeagrant’ match-funding scheme, which is supporting the charity appeal.

Ark Cancer Centre Charity’s £5m appeal will ensure a range of support services and complementary therapies are available alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments in a calm and uplifting environment in the new centre.

The centre, which is largely funded by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is waiting for approval of a preferred site close to junction seven of the M3 where it will be easily accessible to everyone in the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust region. It is scheduled to open at the end of 2018.

Mr Temple (left), president of Basingstoke Deane Rotary Club, is pictured presenting the cash to Mr Rees.