FASHIONISTAS turned on the style to raise money to improve cancer services.

Jane Mohan, a partner of West Street Vineyard in Coggeshall, organised a vintage fashion show to boost funds for the Cancer Centre Campaign.

And she was delighted with the result.

Jane said: "It was a simply fantastic evening. About 200 people attended and had a wonderful time.

"Some of the models had had breast cancer. They looked so amazing. It was quite emotional but a wonderful event."

A number of businesses gave their time and services to support the event which raised £2,000 for the campaign to create a new cancer centre at Colchester General Hospital.

Jane was inspired to raise money for the campaign by her mother, Josie Stephenson.

Jane said: "My mother was only given 12 weeks to live when she was diagnosed with cancer but lived for a further three years.

"It that time, she raised thousands of pounds. She died six days after I opened the vineyard which I had been planning for six years."

The Cancer Centre Campaign, which is supported by the Gazette, aims to raise £4.5 million to build a new cancer centre on top of the radiotherapy centre at Colchester General Hospital.

Jane said: "My mother was treated at Colchester General Hospital and the care she received was excellent.

"A new centre is something we all hope we will not need but statistics show how many people are affected by cancer."

Anyone wanting to support the campaign, which is backed by the Gazette, can do so by texting GAZE11 £10 to 70070 (or chose a different amount).

Cheques can be made payable to CoHoC Cancer Centre Campaign and sent to Colchester Hospitals Charity, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JL.

For more information, go to www.cohoc.org.uk.