A LEDBURY family which has had more than its fair share of cancer battles and tragedy is showing its strength and unity, by raising thousands of pounds for cancer research and support.

When Amanda Morris of Victoria Road lost her brother Barry Tomkins to lung cancer, last November, she was determined to fund-raise not only in his memory but also because of her own cancer fight, which she won, and for the close friends she has lost through the disease.

Even closer to home, her own mother is also a cancer survivor.

Mrs Morris recently underwent a sponsored "Brave Shave" and had all her hair shaved off by her niece, - her late brother's daughter, Deb Jones, who is a hairdresser and a former student of the John Masefield High School.

The Brave Shave raised £1,151 for Macmillan Cancer Support, and the charity was chosen for the care the nurses gave to Mr Tomkins, when he fell ill.

Mrs Morris said: "Do we feel unlucky as a family? I can only speak for myself. I have never asked, why me? You have to get on with things. We are pretty tough as a family, and very close and very supportive of each other, and we pull together.

" I feel very lucky that they caught my cancer early; I have never felt sorry for myself."

She underwent the Brave Shave ordeal not only in memory of her brother but also to remember close friends of hers who lost their battle with cancer, and these include Christopher Webber, Mike Parry and Karen Preedy.

Mrs Morris added: "I'd like people to see I am remembering them. They lost their battles, and that is sad."

Concerning the aftermath of the Brave Shave, Mrs Morris said: "My hair is growing back, but it's a lot greyer than I remember. I've dyed it for years and could not remember what colour it was!"

Mrs Morris is not alone with the family fund-raising drive.

Mrs Morris's sister, Linda Smith, recently organised a charity auction , with the help of her husband and three daughters, which was held at Ledbury Community Hall, Lawnside Road, and raised £6000 for St Michael's Hospice, where Mr Tomkins spent his final days.

Mrs Smith and another sister, Sheila Gladwin, are also organising bingo events to raise money for cancer research.

Mrs Morris herself battled cervical cancer seven years ago, and her mother, Joan Tomkins, now 89, managed to beat bladder cancer, "having gone through a very rough time".

Mrs Morris has nothing but praise for the local community which has supported the fund-raising so well.

"It has been a fantastic response," she said.

"Cancer is a fact of life," she added. "Everyone knows someone who has had it."