RECORD-breaking athlete Sir Roger Bannister is backing a campaign to raise £3m to build a new drop-in centre for cancer patients and their families in Oxford.

Maggie’s Oxford, which operates from a temporary building at the Churchill Hospital, in Headington, wants to build a permanent home next to the hospital’s new £109m cancer centre.

The centre will offer free benefits advice, counselling, relaxation sessions, one-to-one and group sessions with psychologists, tai chi and yoga classes and a library of information about coping with cancer.

It will cost £2m to build, with an additional £1m needed to run the facility for two years.

Sir Roger, a neurologist and first sub-four-minute-miler, attended the launch of the fundraising drive at Oxford’s Museum of Natural History on Wednesday. He said: “I’m very supportive. All my life I have worked in the medical world and I know care beyond treatment is often desirable and necessary.”

Susanna Pressel, the Lord Mayor of Oxford, was also among the guests. She said: “As someone who recently had breast cancer, I’m aware of the wonderful work that happens at Maggie’s.”

Campaign chairman George Robinson, from Boars Hill, near Oxford, said he was confident of raising the £2m needed for work to start next year.

He said: “There’s been a good response so far — we have already raised £630,000 from individual donations, community fundraising events and companies, and we have had a number of further pledges.”

The new centre — designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre — will be on stilts and surrounded by trees. It will take six months to build.

Mr Robinson said: “It will be a place where people can go and talk to other people and come to terms with what’s happening and plan for the future, a beautiful and uplifting building which will bring solace and peace to everyone who needs it.”

More than 5,500 people visited Maggie’s Oxford last year.

The Duke of Marlborough, patron of the fundraising campaign, said: “The new building will provide the ideal space for professional staff to help people to build a life beyond cancer.”

Architect Chris Wilkinson added: “It will be a warm, friendly building.”

The planning application is due to be discussed by Oxford City Council next month.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk