A STAGGERING £40,000 was raised for a breast cancer unit in memory of a campaigner who lost her battle in October.

Kate Butler was an active campaigner who set up Breast Unit Events with best friend Susie Coleman to create and run fund-raisers for the Worcestershire Breast Unit. Mrs Butler helped organise the the last Snow Ball in 2016 which raised £21,000 for the unit. Mrs Coleman said she was determined to honour her best friend’s wish for her to hold another ball.

Mrs Coleman said: “It was incredible, I think it just surpassed all expectations of what we could potentially raise. I am just absolutely blown away.”

“Kate will be smiling away wherever she is.

"Hopefully I have made her proud.”

Mrs Butler detailed her cancer battle in a column in the Worcester News. Mrs Coleman said her and Mrs Butler have raised around £150,000 for the unit. She said : “Something so awful in having a breast cancer diagnosis brought us together and we have been able to achieve more than I ever imagined pre-diagnosis. Out of something so negative came something so positive. I was blessed to have Kate in my life, and I am gutted that it was for such a short time, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

"She has made me a better person.”

The money was raised from an auction, a silent auction as well as a raffle and some donations.

She added: “I spoke to my breast consultant Steven Thrush and he was gobsmacked.

"Generally, fund-raising just goes into the charity pot, but this time I asked if it can be used specifically for something whether it is machinery, whether it is on the diagnostics side, or something that can be used in surgery. He said it was absolutely fine and he will let me know in due course what they would like to do.”

Mrs Coleman said: “He is the man who saved my life, the reason I am still here. He gave a speech at the ball, he was quite passionate about saying something about me and Kate.

"I just hope the money will help them up there (The breast unit) because they are incredible and I owe them my life.

Mrs Coleman said she feels the Snow Ball has now run its course, but there will be other events to come. “I have been working so hard putting that together, I might need a bit of a breather. I feel we have gone out on a high.”