THE Kingsbridge and Salcombe Fundraising Committee for Macmillan Cancer Support are retiring soon and are looking for new blood.

The committee has been running since 1987 and since then has raised over £404,000 to support people affected by cancer, by voluntarily organising events such as coffee mornings, fairs, dinners, and collections in Kingsbridge and Salcombe.

The current committee include Juliet Thompson, who has been with them for 11 years, Pat Nettleton, Vanetta Hosking, Ann Hill, Angela Thomas and Marion Bell.

Elaine Bovey, head of regional fundraising for the South West, and Sian Ward-Edwards, fundraising manager for Plymouth, North Devon and Tamar Valley, joined the committee members to celebrate their achievement with an afternoon tea at the Cottage Hotel in Hope Cove on Monday.

Sian said: ‘We are so grateful to the Kingsbridge and Salcombe Committee for their years of service to Macmillan Cancer Support. We rely on support from the local community to provide services in our hospitals that support people living with cancer.

‘Thanks to their support we have been able to put new Cancer Nurse Specialists in Torbay and Derriford Hospitals who will have touched the lives of thousands of people and helped them through cancer treatment and into recovery.’

The charity is now encouraging local people to step forward and start a new fundraising group in the area. Sian added: ‘We urgently need funds to be raised as the number of people that need our help is growing.

‘A new fundraising group can be four or five friends who organise events that they would enjoy throughout the year and represent the charity in their community. We want it to be fun, sociable and it is a great chance to make a difference.

‘Anyone that would like to get involved can contact me on [email protected].’

Anyone affected by cancer can call the free Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 0000 between Monday–Friday, 9am–8pm.