A DEDICATED support service for cancer patients and their families is expanding its opening hours thanks to lottery cash.

Bury Cancer Support Centre has secured funding to pilot a new evening session every Thursday for the next two years, aimed at helping people who are unable to attend during normal working hours.

The Bolton Road facility will now be open from 3pm to 8pm on Thursdays, in addition to its current 10.30am to 4pm hours from Monday to Wednesday.

The £36,000 funding has been awarded by the People's Health Trust, using money raised by HealthSustain through the Health Lottery.

Centre manager Jan Katana said: "We have been established for 15 years and have built up gradually from a half day a week to three days. We moved to our new centre two years ago and we didn't want to dilute the service by extending the opening hours too quickly and running out of funding.

"They have given us funding for two years to pilot this alternative Thursday opening.

"We are trying to cater for people who can't make the normal opening hours."

These include family members and patients who have gone back to work and bereaved relatives.

"Two or three bereaved relatives have also told me that they find evenings very difficult, and that is a group I hadn't considered when we applied for the funding, " said Ms Katana.

"When patients are terminally ill they often say to us, 'Please, continue to look after my family when I'm not here.'

"We are committed to that and hopefully this evening session will give us even more opportunities to do it."

If the pilot success, centre staff plan to apply for more funding to keep it going for longer.

She added: "It is all about flexibility and providing support for people on their terms.

"We are trying to help them feel as positive as they can and the fact that they can come here when they are able to really helps.

"It may be that we need to open 2pm to 9pm, or 5pm to 10pm - we will see where the demand is and will keep reviewing it.

"We are very conscious that our funding is limited and it is tricky, but the other professionals I have spoken to are very positive about us.

"If we find that this is a goer then we will quickly start looking at more funding options for the future."

For more information, call the centre on 0161 764 6609.