Plans for cancer support centre given the go-ahead

A new cancer support centre is to be built at Maidstone Hospital.

The Maggie's Centre will offer support to people living with cancer, as well as their family members and friends.

The new building, which will be open by 2028, will be at the rear of Maidstone Hospital, close to the Kent Oncology Centre.

Miles Scott, chief executive of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, said: "This exciting partnership with Maggie's represents an important step in how we care for people - not just by delivering world-class medical treatment, but by recognising and responding to the emotional and practical toll cancer takes."

Maggie's, which has offered cancer support since 1996, runs almost 30 centres across the UK.

Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie's, said the approval from Maidstone Borough Council was "wonderful" news.

A £7m fundraising campaign has been launched for the centre, which will feature spaces for one-to-one consultations, group activities, exercise classes, and a garden area.

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