Teenage cancer patients are to have their own specialist nurse.

The Teenage Cancer Trust charity refurbished a room at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton last summer and is now looking for a nurse who specialises in cancer in teenagers and young adults to join the team.

The new nurse will mean young people in the area can receive the specialist care they need, including in their own homes.

Chloe Woolfe, 21, from Brighton, received her cancer treatment at University College Hospital in London, the nearest specialist unit which had space for her.

She said: “It was totally different to any other hospital ward.

“It had a completely different feel to it, almost like a breath of fresh air and I very quickly became comfortable there.

“The nurses became my friends, the ward became home and everyone on the ward truly felt like one big family.

“The only downside of the Teenage Cancer Trust unit is that it is so far away.

“My friends couldn’t visit me because it was too hard for them to travel to me and there were no specialist nurses in Brighton.

“I still have to travel in to London for my check-ups and physio appointments.”

The trust’s 28 centres in cities around the country include London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Southampton, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Louise Scott, the trust’s fundraising manager for the South East, said: “I have heard young people who come to our centres say they never want to leave.

“They are nothing like normal hospitals, for example we have no early morning observations.

“We also let friends come and visit any time of the day or night. We have had people turn up at 2am with pizza and an Xbox.”

More than 120 people ran for Teenage Cancer Trust in the Brighton Marathon on Sunday.

Their estimated fundraising total stands at £60,000.

Louise said: “Teenage Cancer Trust relies on donations to fund all of our vital work from challenge events like the Brighton Marathon.

“Many local young people with cancer are facing it alone. This must change, but we can’t do it alone and need help to raise much needed funds.

“Our partnership with the amazing team at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust will make local young patients feel more comfortable and supported during their cancer journey.

“We’re calling on the local community to get behind us and help us make it happen.”

Once in post, the new specialist nurse will assess the demand in the Brighton and Hove area so facilities can be improved according to patients’ needs.

The trust is planning a fundraising event on Hove Lawns on June 21 to highlight its work.