THE long campaign for a radiotherapy unit to be set up in Kendal took a big stride towards success this week when NHS chiefs launched a study into the matter.

And South Lakes MP Tim Farron, who recently met with NHS commissioners to raise the issue, said he was delighted that the unit was now a step nearer reality and that years of campaigning were now close to achieving success.

"It’s fantastic news that health bosses have finally acknowledged the case that our community has been making for a long time that a radiotherapy unit is desperately needed at Westmorland General Hospital," said Mr Farron.

"I have spoken to hundreds of people whose lives have been blighted by the current situation but now we have a great opportunity."

The absence of a radiotherapy unit on the area has meant cancer sufferers have been forced to engage in long and stressful journeys further afield with many patients facing a daily journey to the Royal Preston Hospital for radiotherapy treatment.

This journey can take more than an hour and often can take much longer if traffic and parking issues are taken into consideration.

Many radiotherapy patients faced severe problems, an example being Kendal man Phil Allen, who decided his only realistic option was to pay for accommodation close to the hospital.

"When I learned I had to go to Preston for radiotherapy treatment, I was told there was accommodation available for those having treatment but when I told them my postcode they said I was ineligible," he said.

"I had 37 sessions of treatment over a seven week period and I ended up paying around £2,200 for airbnb accommodation close to the hospital in Preston.

"I was obviously worried about the financial situation due to my illness and this was an added worry."

Mr Allen said following his own experiences, he was especially pleased to hear that the Westmorland General would hopefully secure radiotherapy facilities in the near future.

"I think it's great news and will benefit so many people," he said.

"If I could have had my treatment in Kendal it would have made things so much easier. I could have got to the Westmorland General without any problem."

The fight to obtain such facilities for the area has spanned a decade, and the Westmorland Gazette launched a 'Shorter Journeys, Longer Lives' campaign in 2011 to try to secure a radiotherapy unit for Kendal, which was run in conjunction with Mr Farron's own campaign on the same issue.

Chemotherapy treatment facilities were secured in 2011 and since then some cancer surgery has been undertaken at Westmorland General.

And when in 2014, Government funding of £12m was promised for radiotherapy services at the hospital, the final battle appeared to have been won, only for the funding pledge to be withdrawn after the 2015 General Election.

The decision left the campaigners bitterly disappointed but they refused to give up the fight and this week's long awaited news that NHS England have begun a feasibility study has been greeted with delight.

Mr Farron explained that the study was already under way and that it was scheduled to be completed in January, when it was hoped a final decision would be made.

"We did not give up," he said. "We had a petition with 7,000 signatures and a march through Kendal attended by 2,000, and if our campaign finally succeeds it will be the biggest of all wins.

"It's fair to say the Westmorland Gazette have played a big role in the campaign and hopefully our persistence has finally paid off.

"For patients being treated for cancer, the fact that they have to travel such long distances to get treatment is a really big added burden.

“Our campaign to win a radiotherapy unit for Westmorland General Hospital will mean patients no longer have to travel debilitating distances and instead will be close to friends and family at a time when they most need their support."