Golf star to fund cancer centre

Golfer Colin Montgomerie has announced the first cancer project to be funded by a foundation he established in memory of his mother.

The Elizabeth Montgomerie Building will be based at Monklands Hospital in Lanarkshire.

It is to be built in association with Maggie's Cancer Care Centres.

Montgomerie, who was recently named captain of Europe's Ryder Cup team, said it would be a fitting legacy for his mother, who died of cancer in 1991.

He established the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation to provide practical and emotional support to cancer patients, their families and carers.

Speaking at the announcement on Thursday evening, Montgomerie, 45, said the death of his mother from lung cancer had been a "devastating time" for his family, and caused him to witness at first hand the impact the disease can have.

'Valuable legacy'

He added: "I was therefore determined to do something about this and I decided to focus on the west of Scotland - the part of the world where I was born, where my mother was treated and where there are some of the highest cancer rates in Europe.

"I am therefore delighted to be working with the Maggie's Cancer Care Centres to develop the Elizabeth Montgomerie Building, which I know will provide exactly the type of support needed by cancer patients and their families. I am looking forward to working with them over the next few years.

"I had always wanted to create a lasting and valuable legacy to my mother and am grateful to Maggie's for helping me realise this dream."

Maggie's chief executive Laura Lee said Lanarkshire was an area with a high incidence of cancer, with approximately 3,500 new diagnoses a year across the region.

"Colin's most generous announcement made in memory of his mother will ensure that Maggie's can provide even more support in an even more ambitious centre than we had thought possible for the people of Lanarkshire," she said.

"We are very grateful to Colin and his family."

Article by BBC News