A NEW campaign to help cancer patients has been launched in Dorset, to celebrate the fifth birthday of a local charity.

Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF) kicked off the High Five initiative at its recent anniversary ball at Bournemouth's Hilton Hotel, asking people to contribute £5 or more, with the goal of raising £250,000 in the coming year.

The charity, which began in 2013, funds grands to pay for anything from people's travel to and from hospital, to much-needed short breaks and living costs during treatment.

Former AFC Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp, a patron of DCCF, said: “I have been proud to be a patron since the charity began and have seen awareness of its work - and subsequent applications for its help - grow considerably during that time.

"I hope people will give a fiver or more to the High Five campaign knowing they are helping a person or family who really needs it, here in Dorset.”

Eve Went, who was one of the original founders of DCCF following her own battle with cancer, said: “I’m immensely grateful to everyone who has helped DCCF go from strength to strength during the last five years and joined us to celebrate this achievement at the ball.

“We now hope people, groups of friends, businesses – everyone – will get behind the High Five campaign, organising their own events and also supporting ours so together we can help even more Dorset people with cancer in 2019 and beyond.”