MORE than £60,000 in grants was dished out to cancer patients in Worcestershire last year.

Macmillan Cancer Support handed out a total of £62,254 to a total of 221 people with the condition in the county last year to help them afford their treatment along with other essential costs such as heating bills and transport.

Research by the charity has shown four out of five people with cancer are about £570 worse off after their diagnosis.

Katherine Maxted from Malvern was given £210 by the charity after being diagnosed with breast cancer last year which she used to pay for the cost of making a 50-mile round trip to Cheltenham for radiotherapy five days a week for five weeks.

“It was going to be a huge expense for me and with Christmas coming up it meant extra financial pressure for me at a time when you are already worrying about money, I panicked,” she said.

“My breast cancer nurse told me about the Macmillan grant, I applied for one and I was awarded £210 which I put towards my petrol costs for travelling to treatment.

“It was a huge relief, when you are diagnosed with cancer you have enough to think about and the extra stress of money worries is the last thing you need.

“It meant I could focus on getting better. It’s great that there is extra support out there.”

Although a new oncology centre at Worcestershire Royal Hospital opened in January, meaning cancer patients no longer face long trips out of the county for radiotherapy, it was not open when Ms Maxted was undergoing her treatment.

Case worker at the citizen’s advice service run by Worcestershire’s branch of Macmillan Anna Mason said: “Each week I see people with cancer who just do not know how they are going to pay the next fuel bill or their costs for getting to and from hospital for treatment.

“Macmillan grants are a vital way of providing some support to these people, so that they can concentrate on their health rather than worrying about finances.”

Macmillan handed out a total of more than £10 million to 33,011 people across the UK in 2014.

For more information on the support available from Macmillan Cancer Support call 0808 808 0000.