ONE cancer sufferer throwing his weight behind the campaign is James Burnham, of Ambleside.

The 77-year-old is one of hundreds of patients who has travelled from South Lakeland to Royal Preston Hospital for radiotherapy.

Earlier this year, the St Mary’s Parish Church warden was diagnosed with prostate cancer and faced a 100-mile drive to Preston, every week day for seven weeks.

Mr Burnham said he wanted to see a centre opened in Kendal, so others could have the life-saving treatment closer to home.

He said his own sessions, which lasted 10 minutes, left him feeling exhausted.

“I’m still not back up to speed yet – a month after my treatment finished,” he said.

“In the end, I arranged to stay over at the hospital for a couple of days each week because it was too much to keep travelling backwards and forwards.

“When you’re battling cancer, you don’t want to have to battle with the traffic as well.

"It would make a huge difference to people like myself to see a centre in Kendal.”

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