MORE money can be spent to help cancer patients after Sidmouth s Living With Cancer group received �1,300 last Thursday.

MORE money can be spent to help cancer patients after Sidmouth's Living With Cancer group received �1,300 last Thursday.

Organisers of Branscombe Art Exhibition presented president Jack Thomas, with the cheque at the group's barbeque evening at Lymebourne Court.

The money was raised at the recent art exhibition in the village.

"It is just absolutely brilliant," said Bill Lankester, who was made an MBE for his work with the group.

"It is getting harder for us to get funds now with the current state of the economy.

"We are keeping going, everyone has been so kind to us over the last eight or nine years, we can't be complacent."

The group has a fund to cover emergencies. It spends a lot of money on buying flowers for those in hospital and, said Bill: "There will come a time when we need to spend money putting people up in a hotel while their partner is in hospital.

"If people have a special problem, such as having a job sleeping, we work with Sidmouth Hospice.

"We bought one lady a special mattress because she was having a job sleeping.

"She has been in a wheelchair since she was 12 and we have tried to help her as much as we can. She is a wonderful inspiration to people with cancer.