By Rebecca SheppardWHEN a grandmother neared her 60th birthday, she decided to ask her friends for money instead of presents.But Pauline Squirrell, from Hitcham, was not thinking of what she could buy herself with the money - but what she could give to the East Anglian Daily Times' Ray of Hope cancer appeal.

By Rebecca Sheppard

WHEN a grandmother neared her 60th birthday, she decided to ask her friends for money instead of presents.

But Pauline Squirrell, from Hitcham, was not thinking of what she could buy herself with the money - but what she could give to the East Anglian Daily Times' Ray of Hope cancer appeal.

Instead of receiving presents for her birthday on July 11, Mrs Squirrell was given £1,000 from 25 friends and members of her family.

She has now decided to donate all the money to the EADT's Ray of Hope appeal for breast cancer charity Breakthrough.

Mrs Squirrell said: “I was having quite a large party and there are only so many pot plants you need when you get to 60.

“You have got most of the things you need and I thought it would be nice to donate to charity instead. I was surprised by how much money everyone gave. It was very generous.”

The EADT's Ray of Hope appeal was launched at the end of April and aimed to raise £100,000 for vital research and awareness of breast cancer.

It is a cause close to Mrs Squirrell's heart. “I had a very good friend that died from it 18 months ago. Breast cancer has also affected my other friends and my own mother, who lived to 90 having had it at 60,” she said.

“She was a good testament to the fact that some people can make a recovery. In those days all you were given was a total mastectomy and that was it.”

Mrs Squirrell had a big party the day before her birthday, with friends and family ageing from eight weeks to 80.

She said: “It was a very easy way of raising money when you don't want to organise anything on a large scale.”

Her donation has pushed the EADT appeal total to more than £11,000. rebecca.sheppard@eadt.co.uk