A CHARITY has donated £10,000 to help patients being treated at Basildon Hospital's Breast unit.

The support from Beat Breast Cancer is all the more meaningful as the charity has a special link to the hospital.

Rumaanah Ghantiwala, Trustee of Beat Breast Cancer, said: "As a small, family-run charity, every penny we raise goes directly to the cause, so it means a great deal to see this £10,000 reach the Breast unit at Basildon Hospital. Having experienced the care of the team there ourselves as a family, we know exactly how special they are.

"We hope this donation helps them continue improving early diagnosis and supporting patients when they need it most."

As with all charitable donations received by Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity, the funding will be used to continue improving patient care and the overall patient experience.

Christiana Aryee, Basildon's Lead Breast Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Beat Breast Cancer for this generous donation. It will support vital staff training and help us further develop our diagnostic services, ultimately improving the experience and care we provide for patients at a crucial stage of their breast cancer journey."

The funding was made possible by a £5,000 grant awarded to the charity by the AKO Foundation through its Give Back programme, which the charity matched with a further £5,000 from its own fundraising efforts.