The following release was issued by Aberdeen City Council.

(11 May 2010) Aberdeen city councillors have unanimously agreed to give the CLAN cancer charity £55,000 from the city’s Common Good Fund.

Finance and Resources Committee members approved the funding for Cancer Link Aberdeen and North to help the charity’s fund-raising campaign to create a new support centre and accommodation facility on the site of Park House, on Westburn Road.

The committee agreed that £25,000 should be spent on creating a volunteer co-ordinator’s room and £30,000 on a twin room for disabled people at the new centre.

Councillors also unanimously agreed a 175-year long-term lease for CLAN for the site.

CLAN is aiming to move from its current premises on the corner of Westburn Road and Caroline Place and is two years into a fundraising campaign to fund the new cancer support centre and accommodation facility.

Chief executive Debbie Thomson said: “Aberdeen City Council has been truly supportive in helping us with this and we are all delighted to have secured a long-term lease with the city for the Park House site on Westburn Road.

“This site meets our stated criteria for our new cancer support centre – close to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, a peaceful environment, easily accessible and large enough for our current and future needs.

“The wonderful news that our application for funding from the Common Good Fund has also been successful is icing on the cake and will truly benefit the users of our new facility. “

Finance and Resources convener Councillor Kevin Stewart said: “I am absolutely delighted that the City Council has been able to tie up a long-term lease with CLAN and donate money from the Common Good Fund. The charity provides a unique range of services for the people of the North-east and deserves all the support we can give.

“This is the sort of joint-working with the voluntary sector that will become more and more necessary in the coming years as local authority budgets become ever tighter in the difficult economic climate. I would be happy to talk to other organisations who can provide vital services to discuss how we can work closely together for the good of our citizens.”