Mannin Cancers has announced the scheduled opening of its new cancer support centre at Noble’s Hospital.

The new centre, which has been established in collaboration with MacMillan Cancer Support and Minds Matter, is projected to open in the summer of 2024.

A spokesperson from Mannin Cancers says: ‘The centre is being designed to offer a warm, welcoming and caring environment, whilst offering support to patients and their carers.

‘There will be consulting rooms, multifunctional areas, a kitchen and dining area and rooms for various groups to hold meetings or informal gatherings.

‘It will provide a link to associated supportive charities and support groups and is hoped it will become a hub for many of the island’s smaller charities to gather.

‘Based on the United Kingdom’s “maggie centres”, the centre will become a haven for people with cancer on the island.’

The Mannin Cancers Support Group is a registered charity on the island which was established in 2019.

It is the sibling charity of the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group, and looks to raise money for diagnostic equipment to help male cancer patients on the island.

Carole Male, the vice chairperson of Mannin Cancers, says: ‘We raised the £2 million funds needed for the support centre from an anonymous donor whose parents both died of cancer on the island.

‘Everybody involved in the charity are volunteers and there are few expenses. We’ve managed to raise more than £8 million to improve cancer services here on Island.

‘We’ve just bought perineal biopsy equipment which diagnoses prostate cancer. This saves men going to England for diagnosis and treatment can start sooner which gives better results.

‘We’ve also just bought two CT (computerised tomography) scanners for a total of £1.5 million. We have plenty of ideas to raise even more money.’