WORK has started on Leighton Hospital's £600,000 Diabetes Centre which will offer an improved service to thousands of sufferers in South Cheshire.

Builders moved on to the site adjacent to the main out-patients hall on Monday.

The centre will house all the diabetes services under one roof.

Diabetes patients, relatives and carers will have easy access to information on the condition, which affects 1.5m people in the UK, and more than 9,000 patients on record in the Leighton catchment area.

Healthcare professionals including specialist nurses and dieticians will also be on hand to help people with the disorder.

The centre is expected to be completed by August and will also serve people from Northwich, Middlewich and Winsford.

An appeal for the centre was launched in June 2000 and has raised £300,000 through relentless fundraising events.

Music concerts, hospital fetes, and school-children taking part in sponsored silences are just a few of the many things which have helped turn the dream into a reality.

Leighton Hospital appeals officer, Janet Slack, said: 'It's wonderful to see a project like this come to fruition.

'I would like to thank everybody who has worked so hard to make it happen, especially the two branches of Diabetes UK in Mid and South Cheshire who have worked tirelessly on this project.'

'The centre will allow people with diabetes to move from one specialist to another without separate appointments.

'All those who have contributed to this project have helped to make life easier for everyone in our area affected by diabetes.'