THE breast unit in Worcester has received an early Christmas gift after a glamorous Snow Ball organised by dynamic breast cancer survivors raised nearly £20,000 for the cause.

The Snow Ball at the Bank House Hotel in Bransford on Saturday, December 6, lived up to its name when funds for the breast unit literally snowballed on the night . The £17,380 raised was £7,000 more than organisers expected as the generosity of guests proved a galvanising force in the ongoing fight to bring the best possible care to the woman and men of Worcestershire.

The dynamic duo, both charity patrons, who organised the ball are survivors and campaigners Kate Butler, 38, of Agatha Gardens, Fernhill Heath, near Worcester and Susie Coleman, 36, of Warndon Villages, Worcester who set up Breast Unit Events (BUE) to give a boost to the Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign, which has been the chosen charity of the Worcester News since it was launched.

On the night the pair sang 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey, which is their theme tune as they do their bit to make dreams about the life-saving unit come true. It remains a hard fight and not everyone who battled for the unit has survived, including charity calendar girls Cherry Robinson and Christell O'Shea. But their deaths have served to furnish the campaign with an even greater urgency.

The spectacular total raise by the provides another welcome boost to the life-saving unit after hospital bosses announced this month that building work could begin on the unit which will be based at an existing building at 220 Newtown Road, on the site of Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester. The unit is expected to be open in under 12 months.

Ball organisers Susie Coleman and Kate Butler were original calendar girls for the launch of the campaign in October, 2009. Both women had breast cancer surgery at a young age (Susie at 26 and Kate at 32) and both grew close because of their shared experience of enduring chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment.

The pair set up Breast Unit Events (www.breastunitevents.co.uk) in the hope it could raise £50,0000 for the campaign to create the unit. The first of their events was the Snow Ball.

In a joint statement released after the ball they said: "It was an amazing success and surpassed all our expectations and we raised over £17,000. We were hoping to raise £10,000 so to make over £17,000 is a huge achievement for us and means we're well on our way to raising our personal target of £50,000 for the unit."

A total of 285 guests, including members of the Worcestershire breast care team, attended the ball which was sponsored by Bituchem Group, Bright Future Lighting and Spire Communications.

All women received a complimentary goodie bag, limited edition, donated by Jutexpo, with the slogan 'believe to achieve' which can be purchased for £3 on the Breast Unit Events website. The night included, champagne reception, three course dinner with wine, auction, raffle, casino and live band.

The auction alone raised £6,280 and prizes included Mo Ali's England cricket shirt signed by the England cricket team, a private tour of the House of Lords, a white gold and diamond necklace donated by Anja Potze, a barrel of local ale donated by ISMAles, Worcestershire vs New Zealand cricket day for ten with hospitality, a watch donated by Peplows, Robert Plant signed box set of Led Zeppelin's digitally remastered material (which went for £2,000).

The auctioneer was Gerard Smith of Andrew Grant estate agent while the live band, Come Together, provided entertainment and had everyone dancing. Also Club 21 fun casino provided blackjack and roulette. Organisers Kate Butler and Susie Coleman sang 'don't stop believing' by Journey, which is their theme tune.

People can still donate via justgiving: justgiving.com/breastunitevents or or donate by text, choosing any amount (in place of the 'x'): BUEV99 £x to 70070