Ann Marie Rogers memorial event raises money for other women (From This Is Wiltshire)

A FUNDRAISER in memory of tireless campaigner Ann Marie Rogers has raised hundreds of pounds for others fighting cancer.

Ann Marie, who grew up in Pinehurst but was living in Highworth when she died four years ago, hit national headlines in 2005 when she took her battle to get the drug Herceptin available on the NHS to the High Court.

After losing her fight in 2006, she appealed the judge’s decision and won.

As a result of her campaigning, thousands of women across the country now have access to Herceptin, which at the time was only being used on women with advanced cancers.

To keep her memory alive and mark her birthday, Ann Marie’s sister Bev Neale, landlady of The Moonrakers, held an event at the weekend.

Originally it was to raise money solely for Prospect Hospice, but after reading about the story of 27-year-old Natasha Macdivitt in the Adver, Bev decided she wanted to donate a sum of the money to her as well.

Natasha, of Haydon End, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in July 2011 and was given the all-clear in September.

But the mum-of-three has now been told that the disease has appeared in her lungs and bones – giving her less than a year to live.

Her family and friends are fundraising to make sure her children have fond memories of spending time with their mum, and also to pay for an alternative treatment that is not available on the NHS, which could extend Natasha’s life expectancy.

Bev said: “The night was great and we managed to raise £700 for Natasha and £510 for Prospect Hospice.

“Originally we had planned to donate all the money to the hospice but it all got a lot bigger than we ever expected.

“I saw the piece in the Adver about Natasha and I thought it would be nice to help her – she is trying alternative medication which costs £80 a time, which is a lot of money, so I am pleased we have been able to help.

“She was so grateful when I got in touch with her through the Adver – she is in a similar situation to my sister.

“I think Ann Marie would be really happy about it. It was a really emotional night on Saturday and it would have been Ann Marie’s birthday as well. We had lots of people there, including several ladies who are on Herceptin, so I found that emotional talking to them.

“The entertainment was great, everyone loved it.”