Cancer charity P.A.L.S has bought a site for a new purpose-built headquarters and is now asking donors to dig deep to fund the $1 million project.

The group, which gives sufferers nursing care, equipment and supplies, hopes the new site will help meet increased demand from rising cancer rates.

The vacant lot opposite the old hospital is just yards away from the premises P.A.L.S. shares with the St. John Ambulance Brigade on Point Finger Road in Paget.

P.A.L.S. chief executive officer Ann Smith Gordon said plans for the site were in their infancy and it would take at least two years before the charity could move in.

She said rising cancer rates meant the service had expanded.

"We have about 100 patients at one time. At one stage we had 118. The patients' needs are growing and they are getting younger and younger.'' She said a rise in local cancer rates reflected a worldwide trend.

"There's been a lot more cases of throat and neck cancer,'' said Ms Smith Gordon.

"I can't tell you why cancer is going up. Lifestyles affect it. Colon cancer is affected by diet.

"People are smoking and drinking to excess -- that's a big contributor -- but experts in America can't tell us why it's rising.

"The rise in throat cancer means we need more machines which suck mucus out of throats and we need speech machines to help patients speak again when their voice boxes are removed.'' She said: "The new premises will give us a store for our medical equipment.

We have a lot of walkers and wheelchairs used by our five nurses and we also have three administration staff.

"And we don't have a place for our nurses to offer counselling or the access to meeting rooms we would like to have because we are sharing. But these rooms will be built into the plan.

"We have been in existence for 20 years and sharing all that time -- we have been happy with the arrangement but we knew it could not last forever.'' She said she was grateful to St. John Ambulance for letting P.A.L.S. share with them and to the TB Cancer and Health Association which had previously given them floor space.

And she praised public generosity which helped meet the charity's $600,000 a year costs.

"There is no charge for specialised services of our five nurses, nor for the use of a huge amount of equipment.

"Consequently our budget is enormous. There is absolutely no way that P.A.L.S could exist without the wonderful support of our community and we are ever grateful to everyone who supports us.''