THOUSANDS of pounds have been donated to Ark Cancer Centre Charity in memory of a popular leading consultant radiologist.

Hundreds of people attended a celebration of life event in memory of Dr Graham Plant – and nearly £15,000 has now been donated to the charity appeal.

The charity is raising £5million towards an £18.5m state-of-the-art cancer treatment centre that is potentially earmarked for land near to junction 7 of the M3 off the A30.

The centre, which is being funded by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) and the charity, will serve and support patients and their loved ones from the trust area, and it is hoped to open at the end of 2018.

As previously reported in The Gazette, at the end of January, Dr Plant’s widow Carole, former colleagues, friends, and patients gathered in The Ark Conference Centre to pay tribute to, and to celebrate the life of Dr Plant, who died on January 20, aged 61, following a battle with cancer.

Dr Plant, who joined Basingstoke hospital in 1987 and retired in December 2013, was instrumental in the creation of the interventional radiology service.

A founder member of the British Society of Interventional Radiologists, Dr Plant was also former chairman of the Ark Medical Trust, which helped to plan and fundraise for the Ark Conference Centre in the grounds of Basingstoke hospital.

Mr Merv Rees, clinical director of surgery at HHFT and Ark Cancer Centre Charity trustee, was a long-time friend and colleague of Dr Plant, and was among those who paid tribute to him at the memorial event.

Responding to news of the amount donated in memory of Dr Plant, Mr Rees said: “This is an incredible sum that has been donated in memory of Graham. It speaks volumes for his popularity and the high regard in which he was held by so many people.”