A hospital radio station facing closure has received a much needed boost this week.

Radio Marsden based at the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in Sutton needs £50,000 to replace ageing equipment otherwise it faces going off-air forever.

An entrepreneurial teenager Daniel Cox, 16, from Stanley Park High School in Carshalton, handed over the £259 he and friends raised at a Christmas fair.

Radio Marsden chairman, Jason Reynolds, said: "It’s fantastic what the students at Stanley Park have done and it’s great that so many people are supporting us by organising fundraising events.

"We really are very grateful and can only hope that more and more people will do what they can to help. We’ve already raised more than £13,000 but there is still a long way to go if we are to reach our target and ensure that the station stays on air."

The family of a bass guitarist, Alan Lucie, who died last year from prostate cancer at 69 years old, also donated £1,300 which they raised at a tribute concert for him.

Mr Reynolds added: "Many of us at Radio Marsden got to know Alan when he was a patient at the Royal Marsden in Sutton and we are so very grateful to Alan’s family and his many friends and fellow musicians for raising such a fantastic amount for our appeal."

Radio Marsden, which broadcasts to patients and on-line 24 hours a day, seven days a week, relies entirely on donations and fundraising to run the service.

To support Radio Marsden visit www.radiomarsden.co.uk or send donations to Radio Marsden, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5PQ.