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Woman raises £1m after sister cared for in tiny room

Rachel Candlin,West of Englandand
Ben Prater,Wiltshire
News imageRUHX Nic and Dianne in a mid-shot, smiling to camera, both wearing grey tops and standing in front of a wooden plaque which says 'The Vanessa Kyte Gamma Suite' on the wall of a hospital corridorRUHX
Nic Noble and her mother, Dianne Young, were proud to have the gamma suite at the cancer centre named after Vanessa

A woman who raised £1m in 20 years for a hospital's cancer care says it has created a lasting legacy for her sister.

Nic Noble, from Warminster, founded the annual Walk of Life which sees hundreds of walkers take on a marathon or a 10-mile (9.3km) walk.

She spent years fundraising for the Dyson Cancer Centre at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath in memory of her sister Vanessa Kyte, who died of breast cancer in 2007 after being cared for in "a tiny room".

Noble said: "The cancer centre as it was, was not fit for purpose for the staff and for the patients. Now my heart sings every time I see that cancer centre and that has given me clarity, hope and kept Nessa's name alive."

The annual walk along the along the Kennet and Avon canal is taking place later, and will be Noble's final year participating.

Rhyannon Boyd, associate director of the hospital's charity, said: "Nic's dedication and generosity have been instrumental in helping bring the Dyson Cancer Centre to life, contributing to a significantly improved environment for patients, families and staff facing a cancer diagnosis."

Noble said the 20 years of fundraising have given her something to focus on after losing her sister.

"I now have two wonderful granddaughters, so lots of family commitments, and I work for my daughter as a swimming teacher and that takes a lot of my time," she told BBC Wiltshire.

News imageRUHX Three middle-aged women smiling to camera in a mid-shot, in front of a brick building. They are wearing t-shirts with a building society logo on the frontRUHX
Nic Noble (R) started fundraising for the RUH's cancer care when her sister, Vanessa (C), was diagnosed with breast cancer

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, Noble started fundraising for new cancer facilities with her sister, including starting the Walk of Life fundraising challenge in 2006.

Noble said: "Ness spent an awful lot of time in a tiny room, which only had an air conditioning unit on the ceiling and she looked out on a red brick wall."

Noble promised her sister before she died that she would continue fundraising for the centre, which opened in 2024 and offers oncology, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services, as well as a 22-bed inpatient ward and Macmillan wellbeing hub.

News imageRUHX A group of walkers in the same turquoise t-shirts with RUH written on the front and walking gear and rucksacks. They are walking in single file along a narrow footpath in the countryside beside a river to the left of the image and a hedge of trees on the rightRUHX
The Walk of Life takes place annually and was set up by Nic Noble and her sister Vanessa Kyte in 2006

"I still walk and I'm still fundraising with the local group that I started in Nessa's name," said Noble.

"For people who have lost their loved one, the walk gives them support and also gives them something to do to give back to the RUH and make a difference to other people who are then going through that journey," she added.

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