Years of hard work, fundraising and community spirit came to fruition this week, when Kingston Hospital's specialist cancer care unit finally opened.

The Sir William Rous unit quietly started taking patients on Tuesday, after more than a year of building work, with services provided by Kingston Hospital, Macmillan Cancer Support and the Royal Marsden.

The centre will provide mammography and ultrasound clinics, chemotherapy and advice for people living with cancer.

An official opening ceremony will take place at the end of July.

Kingston Hospital Cancer Unit appeal manager Barry Cooling said: "It is absolutely tremendous. An amazing number of people have made contributions to the appeal which has enabled us to raise a substantial amount of money.

"It is a very impressive building and very calming. I think it will make a great difference to the people of Kingston who unfortunately have to use it.

"We will keep fundraising. There is always the need for replacement equipment or even equipment that hasn't been invented yet so we will continue to accept funds most gratefully."

Carole Heatley, chief executive at Kingston Hospital, said: "Our shared vision is to deliver the best specialist services from a first-class facility, here at Kingston Hospital, to out local patients.

"Building and equipping the unit was made possible through the fundraising of Kingston Can. I would like to extend a huge thankyou to everyone who donated to the appeal.

"Through your generosity, the appeal raised £3m. The fundraising was also supported by a donation of £1.4m from the Royal Marsden, and £630,000 from Macmillan Cancer Support."

Cally Palmer, chief executive of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This is a unique partnership that will ultimately benefit cancer patients.

"Together with Kingston, we identified a local need and we are now providing services that fulfil that need.

"It is particularly important for patients as they will be able to have their chemotherapy treatment closer to home; the more care we can provide locally, the better."

Stephen Richards, Macmillan's regional director for the south-east, said: "When you're living with cancer, having the right kind of information and support at the right time is essential.

"It can help you make informed choices about your treatment and care, and take away some of the uncertainty and fear, so you feel more in control.

"We're pleased to be working woth Kingston Hospital and the Royal Marsden to provide an all round excellent service for local people affected by cancer."

The unit is named after former military man Sir William Rous, who was chairman of Kingston Hospital from December 1996 and was a cancer patient before his death in 1999.

For more information visit www.kingstoncan.org.uk