The former Mayor of Congleton has donated thousands of pounds to The Christie charity to support The Christie at Macclesfield.

Councillor Denis Murphy, who was the Mayor of Congleton Town Council from May 2021 to May 2022, undertook a wide range of fundraising activities during his term in office to raise money for local charities.

One of them (the now-Lib Dem Town Councillor) chose was to donate to the new the £26m cancer treatment centre that opened in Macclesfield in December 2021.

The Christie Macclesfield is just a an eight-and-a-half mile drive from Congleton town centre.

The site is located at the end of Macclesfield's Fieldbank Road. (Image - Alexander Greensmith / Congleton Nub News)

Councillor Murphy, who is also a Cheshire East Councillor, recently presented the £2,500 to The Christie staff raised during his time as Mayor.

Catherine Fenson, Operational Management Lead at The Christie at Macclesfield was delighted for the support of their neighbouring town.

"We are incredibly grateful to Councillor Murphy and all those who supported the Mayoral appeal during his time in office over the previous 12 months," she said.

"Most of the funding to build The Christie at Macclesfield came through charitable donations and the services we offer above and beyond what the NHS can afford are also funded through the charity."

The site covers 28,000 square feet. (Image - The Christie Macclesfield)

£23 million of the £26 million construction costs was funded by public donations, with this recent donations playing a part in that.

Lindsey Farthing from The Christie charity, who posed for a picture with the three-time Congleton Mayor, had glowing things to after the cheque presentation.

"A huge thank you to Councillor Murphy for choosing The Christie at Macclesfield as one of his main charities as Mayor of Congleton," she said.

"Donations such as this mean we can support patients from Cheshire as they go through cancer treatment."

A 58-year-old woman from Holmes Chapel was the first to be treated at The Christie Macclesfield, on December 13 2021. (Image - The Christie Macclesfield)

The site - which comprises part of the Macclesfield Hospital campus, deals with state-of-the-art chemotherapy treatments and outpatient appointments.

Radiotherapy treatments commenced in January 2022, one month after opening.

The centre will provide 46,000 patient appointments and visits each year and deliver care closer to home for more than 1,500 patients a year.

Councillor Murphy's other charity in his year as Mayor was for Congleton Youth Cadet Services. But his main focus was The Christie Macclesfield, especially as it was a cause close to his heart.

Since retiring as Mayor, Cllr Murphy still serves as one of seven Liberal Democract Congleton Town Councilliors. (Image - Congleton Town Council)

"Having known friends who have needed the services of The Christie in Withington, they have always spoken so highly of the care and treatment they have received, he said.

"But they also mentioned that the travelling was quite a chore from this area.

"I know what a tremendous benefit it will be having the Christie at Macclesfield so local, to so many people."

In addition to 12,500 radiotherapy appointments and 6,800 chemotherapy, immunotherapy and hormonal treatments, The Christie at Macclesfield provides a range of holistic services including haematology treatments, outpatient care, nurse led clinics, counselling services, an information centre, palliative care and a more comprehensive range of clinical trials. 

The centre also has a CT scanner where treatments are planned, complementary therapy rooms and a charity centre.

The most common cancers treated will be breast, bowel, lung and prostate cancer. Patients with rare and complex cancers will continue to be treated at The Christie in Withington.

If you'd like to donate to The Christie Macclesfield, please click here or call the team on 0161 446 3988.

The current Congleton Mayor is Margaret Gartside. Please click here to learn more about her.

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