AN 86-YEAR-OLD man who defeated cancer before raising £6,000 by collecting 5p coins has decided to retire from regular fundraising.

Frank Long, of Vicarage Road, Chard, has been working hard to raise money for the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital and for the Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment (SURE).

Frank has also raised money for Tatworth Church, despite struggling with mobility and needing a chair to get around.

Following his latest donation of £385 to SURE, Frank received a letter from the cancer charity’s vice chairman, Roy Hole, which said: “We are delighted that you continue to support SURE and I would like personally to thank you, your wife, and your friends for your donations over the years.”

However, Frank said he thinks this is the last lot of fundraising he will be able to do, as mobility becomes increasingly more difficult.

He said: “I would like to thank everybody who has donated 5ps.

“If everyone was to save their 5ps, they are hardly used these days.

“There are about 13,000 people in Chard, that money could go a long way.”

Frank was inspired to start helping Musgrove’s Beacon Centre after winning his own battle with cancer and then seeing friends go through the same thing.

He added: “I just felt like I wanted to do something that a lot of people could help with.”

Dr Petra Jankowska, Musgrove’s clinical director for Haematology, Oncology and Palliative Care and clinical support, has paid tribute to Frank’s efforts.

She said: “We are incredibly grateful to Frank Long for his tremendous fundraising efforts for the Beacon Centre over the years.

“It’s thanks to people like Frank that we are able to continue providing our patients with the best care and support and it is always humbling how generous the community is in supporting us.

“We always welcome donations no matter how big or small to the Beacon Centre.”

The hospital is working towards adaptive radiotherapy for pelvic patients, and tumour treatments. Dr Jankowska added: “Trying to remain at the cutting edge of cancer medicine necessitates considerable commitment and training for staff.”