A GROUNDBREAKING cancer centre which will be the most modern of its kind in Europe is to replace the Ardenlea Centre.

However, some of the services currently based in Ilkley are likely to remain in the area, according to Brenda Doyle, fundraising officer at Ilkley's Ardenlea Centre.

Work is expected to start in July on building Bradford's Marie Curie Centre on the site of the old Leeds Road Hospital, and the first patients are to be admitted in 2001.

And it has been revealed that the new centre is to get a boost from the Lord Mayor's Charity Appeal.

Lord Mayor Coun Harry Mason, who lost his brother, mother and first wife through cancer, has chosen the Marie Curie Cancer Centre for his appeal.

Speaking after his installation as Lord Mayor at the council's annual meeting, Coun Mason said: "Cancer affects most of us at some time in our lives - either directly or indirectly and I am sure there are many other families with similar tales to tell. When we heard that Europe's most modern cancer centre was to be built in this city we felt it was something that we and the people of Bradford could wholeheartedly support."

A total of £1 million has been raised in Bradford by the Marie Curie Golden Daffodil Appeal - and Coun Mason hopes to boost this considerably over the next year.

However, commenting on the future of services in Ilkley, Brenda Doyle, fundraising officer at Ilkley's Ardenlea Centre said: "People in Ilkley are not losing a service - it's just being relocated.

"We will be keeping a number of the services - there's a strong possibility that we will have day care somewhere in the locality and we will have the home care team which will give support to cancer patients in their homes.

"To a lot of people, the memories are very good, and people will miss it. Having said that - the same sort of care that Ardenlea is renowned for will carry on.

Services at Ardenlea are expected to continue until the new building is up and running. Brenda Doyle added: "People are very good, and we get a great deal of support also from Otley and Airebrough. We hope it will continue."

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