JEREMY Hunt has affirmed his support for The Prostate Project’s ‘Buy a Brick’ appeal to raise £2 million towards the construction of a world-class NHS Urology Centre at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

The Health Secretary and Farnham MP cut the turf for the new centre in October 2015 following fundraising by The Prostate Project. To date, the charity led by Colin Stokes and Tim Sharp has raised more than £1.7m towards the new facility’s £4.5m build cost and they are working hard to raise the rest of the £2m promised.

All current donations are being put into the charity’s Buy-a-Brick for £10 appeal. This initiative, launched in December 2016 has already passed the halfway mark and currently stands at £91,000.

Mr Hunt said: “I am delighted that building work has now started on the new urology centre at the Royal Surrey.

“The money that the Prostate Project charity has raised is remarkable and it is all credit to the hard work and the generosity of the team and their supporters that this new facility is being built.

“Congratulations to everyone involved - I encourage people to ‘buy a brick’ as part of their latest fundraising drive.”

Now The Prostate Project is appealing for more people to buy a brick and get involved in one of the Royal Surrey’s most exciting new developments.

Tim Sharp, a trustee of the charity said: “It is so rewarding to see this appeal taking off the way it has. People just want to be part of it. Our appeal slogan is ‘Buy a brick for £10 and be remembered for ever’.

“Everyone who buys a brick will have their name recorded in a book of appreciation in the new centre reception.”

The new urology centre will transform the patient experience at the Royal Surrey for men, women and children.

Professor Stephen Langley, clinical director of urology, said: “Our status as a Centre of Excellence in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer will be further enhanced by this exceptional new facility.

“It is already attracting very high calibre personnel who want to be part of the pioneering team at Guilford. We are one of the largest brachytherapy treatment centres in the world and certainly the largest in the UK.”

Brachytherapy is one of the most effective treatments for early stage prostate cancer involving the implantation of tiny radioactive seeds into the prostate.

The new centre will enable Professor Langley’s team to treat up to eight patients per day on a day-case basis using a new more rapid 4D brachytherapy technique, which was developed at the Royal Surrey and is being adopted at many centres around the world.

Anyone who would like to support the appeal by buying bricks can do so via the Prostate Project website (prostate-project.org.uk) or at their dedicated BTmyDonate site at mydonate.bt.com/events/buyabrick1.

Alternatively email Tim Sharp for more information at [email protected].

• In another boost to The Prostate Project’s appeal, donations from three of Surrey’s Masonic Lodges have catapulted the total amount donated to the charity by Surrey Masons through the £50,000 barrier.

A £1,000 cheque from Cranleigh Lodge took them over the line. Two further donations of £500 from Waverley Lodge in Farnham and massive £5,000 from Castle Keep Lodge in Godalming, boosted the grand total donated by Surrey Masons to £57,217.

Prostate Project chairman Colin Stokes said: “We are so grateful to Surrey Masons for their wonderfully loyal support. They have been one of our most important donor groups throughout the 18-year history of our charity and a key element of our success.”