A Witney author is donating his September profits from his book “The Leukaemia Diaries: Seeing The Funnier Side of Cancer” to Leukaemia Care.

Anthony Hyde, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2017, is the father of the blood cancer charity's campaigns officer, and has lived in Witney for 20 years, .

He decided to write the book as a way of explaining what he went through to his loved ones but found it became a way to record all the funny stories that both he and his wife experienced through the process of diagnosis and treatment.

He said: "After my diagnosis, I began to talk to more people who were going through various stages of cancer like myself, and I found myself wanting to help them - giving them a shoulder to cry on and offering a bit of positivity and humour.

"From then on, my overriding wish was that the book might help other cancer sufferers and their loved ones.

"I said to my wife that if I could help just one person, then it would be worthwhile.”

Since its publication in 2020, ‘The Leukaemia Diaries’ has been sold to nearly 1,000 readers around the world.

After Anthony's daughter, Emma, got the job as Campaigns Officer for Leukaemia Care, he has wanted to get involved with the charity.

He said:“I was so proud and humbled when I heard Emma would be working for the charity and since that point, we have talked about ways we could work together. When Blood Cancer Awareness Month and #SpotLeukaemia campaign for September was mentioned, we thought it would be the perfect event to get involved in.”

Mia Rawlinson, Community Fundraising Officer at Leukaemia Care, said: “Patients and their loved ones have been especially affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Anthony’s fundraising means we can continue to provide much-needed support in these difficult times.”