One of Colchester's biggest schools has pledged its support to This Is Essex partner paper the Gazette in its campaign for a cancer centre of excellence in the town.

St Helena School is poised to get signatures from more than 900 pupils and staff.

A "hit squad" of pupils armed with Gazette articles about the campaign is going into every classroom to tell their peers why cancer services should be kept in Colchester.

This mass collection of names has been initiated by mum Christine Gray whose eldest daughter Zoe suffered cancer while a St Helena pupil.

Zoe, now in her first year at university, battled against Hodgkin's lymphoma and returns to Essex County Hospital, Colchester, for regular check-ups.

Mrs Gray, of Sorrel Close, Braiswick, Colchester, sent an open letter to St Helena asking for their support, along with a Gazette petition.

Her other daughter, Jo, 16, is also a pupil at the Sheepen Road school and Jo's head of year Jackie Cain started circulating the petition.

Headteacher Clive Waddington said: "Zoe was a particularly good pupil who became very ill. Thankfully now she seems to be in remission and it's largely down to the work at the hospital here.

"I would like to feel if another pupil had a similar problem they would receive similar support and treatment."

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