LEADERS at Bury Cancer Support Centre have paid tribute to a generous company which has become highly valued "charity champs."

In the past year alone, staff at Milliken Industrials have raised £3,220 while the company has donated thousands of pounds worth of carpet for the centre's new base in Bolton Road, Bury.

And when centre manager Jan Katana visited the Wellington Street business to extend her thanks, she was presented with a cheque for £720 which marked the latest fundraising by employees.

She said: "For the past three years, we've been Milliken's charity of the year and they've just decided to do this again for the fourth successive year. We are exceptionally grateful to them for their continuing support and for the recognition of what we do. Bury Cancer Support Centre costs £10,000 a month to run."

In 2014, the company's Wigan plant provided free carpet for around 12 rooms at Bury Cancer Support Centre's new headquarters. And a separate company location supplied 12 mats.

Mrs Katana singled out Bury-based Milliken employee Janet Hutchinson, who co-ordinates the company's fundraising initiatives for the cancer support centre, for special praise.

She continued: "The company has a system whereby everyone is asked to nominate a chosen charity. They are a very generous organisation. The £720 I received when I visited the company brought the total amount of money raised for us during the past year to £3,220."

For 21 years, the Bury premises have been home to Milliken's European airbag products. Annually, 24 million square metres of fabric are produced for the automotive industry. Last year, the company marked its 50th anniversary of manufacturing at its site in Bury.