THE Royal Albert Edward Infirmary's new Cancer Care Centre will officially be opened in a celebratory event on Friday.

The centre, which is run by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support, has been serving the community for more than a year but has been waiting for its official opening until the building was complete.

The £5 million development project enables cancer patients to undergo chemotherapy treatment closer to home, rather than having to travel to Manchester.

The event will begin at 1.30pm and the centre will be officially opened by Dr Andrew Wardman, with Mayor of Wigan Borough Cllr Susan Loudon in attendance.

The centre's sensory garden will also be opened tomorrow, giving cancer patients somewhere to relax.

Leonora Anson, lead chemotherapy nurse at the new centre, said: “I am very happy that we get to officially open this outstanding building.

"The success the building and its services has enjoyed since it was opened to patients is a tremendous testimony to the hard work and dedication of the people who work here.”

Robert Armstrong, chairman at the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the trust I would like to thank everybody who has made the construction and successful running of this facility a possibility.

“This has all been made possible by strong collaboration with our superb partners Macmillan Cancer Support and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

"Together we endeavour to provide patients in our borough the first-class care that they deserve.”