'Stayin' Alive' celebrity guest opens Against Breast Cancer building

Dwina Murphy-Gibb, wife of Bee Gee Robin Gibb, together with Honorary President Julie Cowell, mum of Simon Cowell, cut the ribbon and named the new building 'Leathem House', after the charity's founders Patricia and Dr Anthony Leathem who joined in the celebration.

Abingdon's Mayor Patricia Hobby attended the special occasion alongside invited guests comprising supporters, trustees and charity employees, including research and administrative staff. Guests enjoyed raising their glasses to a bright future for the charity.

Dr Anthony Leathem said "It really is a landmark moment in time to open our new office. We have two new research team members who will be working with our existing team to look at new ways of testing for the early detection of cancer changes and to try and identify markers that could lead us closer to a vaccine. We can also announce that we are close to reaching our target of 3000 participants in a Diet and Lifestyle Study we are conducting on women with breast cancer. We should hit our target in 2010 and this will mean we will be closer to finding out what lifestyle factors might contribute towards causing and spreading the disease, outside of known genetic influences."

Patricia Leathem CEO of Against Breast Cancer said "We have come such a long way since the early days of the charity and our move to a fully equipped building is the start of a brand new chapter for us. We're keen to engage with the Abingdon community to build strong and long lasting relationships. We're so pleased that the people who have helped us so much over the years could be with us at the opening." Images and time kindly donated by PS:Unlimited (www.psunlimited.co.uk)