THE Manchester Evening News has won a top newspaper award for its campaign to stop chemotherapy rationing at the Christie hospital.

We exclusively revealed last year how the Withingon-based cancer hospital faced a '1.5m shortfall that doctors warned could cause delays in treatment and cost lives.

Thousands of readers - backed by celebrities from comedian Bernard Manning to football legend Denis Law - joined the fight and the local NHS boss holding the purse-strings was blitzed with letters.

Now our efforts, and yours, have been recognised after the M.E.N. won Campaign of the Year at the Regional Press Awards - one of the industry's major honours. High-profile backers congratulated the newspaper and especially our readers for setting an example in positive action.

Former Manchester United boss Tommy Docherty said: "I am absolutely delighted. It is great that on something like this, we, the fortunate ones, can do something that makes a real difference to the less fortunate."

Mr Manning said: "This is excellent news. I was right behind the campaign because a couple of my family members died of cancer and the Christie does a great job."

The Christie in Crisis campaign started in May 2003 after the M.E.N. discovered the Christie did not have enough money to treat all the patients it expected to see that year.

Christie's Prof Robert Hawkins warned that people could die because of chemotherapy rationing and waits of up to six weeks.

Gap

NHS rules meant Christie could not resort to fund-raising. Bolton Primary Care Trust, which negotiates cancer spending on behalf of all the regions' trusts, said it was already putting an extra '3.7m into the hospital and could not find '1.5m more. Hazel Blears, Salford MP and then health minister, said the government would not plug the gap.

The M.E.N. increased the pressure by printing a letter for readers to fax and send to Bolton PCT boss Dr Kevin Snee - and in less than a week he had been inundated by more than 1,000.

The campaign was backed by Coronation Street stars Bill Roache and Tracy Shaw, Emmerdale's Lisa Riley, singer Russell Watson, comedienne Caroline Aherne, athletes Darren Campbell and Diane Modahl and swimmer James Hickman.

On May 22, eight days after our initial revelations, trust chiefs promised to make sure patients would not be made to wait for chemotherapy.

The '1.5m was made good through the PCTs, the Strategic Health Authority and money from Christie itself. Christie in Crisis also triggered a major review of cancer funding across Greater Manchester, to make sure that the problem could not arise again.

The UK Press Gazette Regional Press Awards were held at Manchester United Football Club on Friday.

The M.E.N. was also shortlisted for Evening Newspaper of the Year and Scoop of the Year for our story about a police officer caught on CCTV camera apparently kicking former Para Delbo King.

As well as the Campaign of the Year award, sponsored by Manchester Airport, The M.E.N. was also shortlisted in the following categories: Rebecca Camber for Young Journalist of the Year; Website of the Year and Team of the Year for the Sports Department's Bye Bye Becks special.

M.E.N. editor Paul Horrocks said: "The Christie has a special place in the hearts of the people of Manchester, and when we heard about the crisis facing the chemotherapy unit we had to act on behalf of our readers.

"The response from those readers was amazing, and the outcome - just eight days after we broke the story - was a great result.

"We are pleased that the concerns of our readers have been recognised."

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