AN official turf cutting ceremony was held at Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust to mark the start of a £16m major building project.

Work on the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and Therapies Centre, which will be an outpatient centre providing treatment, care and education for patients to recover from illness or injury, is now underway.

Benefactors Andrew and Christina Brownsword, who have pledged up to £1m to match every pound donated to a Forever Friends Appeal £2m campaign towards the cost of the building, were joined by David Snell, Operations Manager from Kier Construction, Brian Stables, Trust Chairman, and former Bath Rugby player Ed Jackson, to get construction work up and running.

Mr Stables said: "The start of the construction work marks a key milestone for the Trust. This building will make a major impact on the services the hospital can provide to some 25,000 people each year.

"It has been designed in conjunction with patients, staff and architects, and will include a large hydrotherapy pool, a specialist gym and rehabilitation equipment, and a biologics treatment space to support treatment, recovery, wellbeing and the management of long-term conditions.

"It’s an amazingly generous gesture made by the Brownsword Charitable Foundation and we would very much welcome help from the public to achieve our target of raising £2m."

Once this is done, work can start on the hospital's new cancer centre as well.