A CHARITY in York has announced it will be opening a brand new support centre at the Community Stadium as it celebrates its 35th year.

York Against Cancer's (YAC) new 'Leveson Centre' will provide a wide range of holistic support services to complement clinical cancer treatments provided at York Hospital and help patients from across North and East Yorkshire to live with and beyond cancer.

Located next to the YAC gift shop, the new space will provide a friendly, welcoming 'home-from-home' environment for patients, friends and families to visit and access support.

Visitors will be able to access information and advice, professional help and a weekly and monthly timetable of activities. Services will include benefits and financial advice, 'Look Good Feel Better', complementary therapy, psychological support and counselling, will writing and health and wellbeing activities.

York Press:

The Leveson Centre has been named after one of the charity's founders, Steve Leveson, a retired consultant surgeon, who started York Against Cancer 35-years-ago and who, with his wife Patricia, has supported the charity ever since. Renowned for his skills as a surgeon, researcher, educator and for his genuine compassion, he has touched the lives of thousands of people across North and East Yorkshire.

Steve said: "This is a fantastic step forward for both York and for the wider region and will mean support for cancer patients will be hugely increased and more accessible for everyone. I am honoured that The Leveson Centre has been named after my wife Patricia and myself - and we are excited to see its launch."

Exclusively funded through generous donations and legacies received by YAC, the charity is working closely in partnership with the York and Scarborough Hospital Trust to ensure they create a space that will positively impact the region’s level of cancer support services.

The charity is launching a fund-raising campaign to support the new centre at the Community Stadium and its other services for people from across the region who are living with cancer.

The fund-raising campaign being launched by the charity will support the ongoing running costs of the centre as well its other services which include the Mobile Chemotherapy Unit, launched in 2017, its minibus service which takes patients from York and the surrounding areas for treatment at St James' Hospital in Leeds and a respite home in Filey.

Julie Russell, CEO of York Against Cancer, said the charity can't wait for the "exciting" project.

She said: "The new Leveson Centre will really extend the support and care we are able to offer cancer patients from across York and the wider region. We want it to serve the people that need it long into the future as well as continue with our other vitally important services and research."