Vitality Central West [VCW] was established last year to provide specialist care for survivors and their support persons across the region.

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VCW chair Richard Collins, who co-founded the organisation with wife and chief executive officer Victoria Stevens, said the facility will aim to fill a void in cancer survivorship services in the Central West.

"The Central West has ample services for chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, but the long and short-term side effects of cancer can be quite toxic, not only physically, but mentally," Mr Collins said.

"With no dedicated cancer survivorship centre currently in the Central West, we're hoping to fill that gap."

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Mr Collins said there's now a much greater understanding of survivorship care's role in cancer treatment, with evidence suggesting it can improve quality of life and life expectancy, while reducing the risk of reoccurrence.

"The centre will provide access to a range of services and health professionals, including a survivorship oncologist and specialist rehabilitation initiatives, as well as holistic therapy involving art, meditation and various other activities," he said.

"It will be a community-focused centre providing aid for people with current or past diagnoses of cancer, as well as their support persons."

Mr Collins and Ms Stevens purchased 'Clifton Park' in 2015 from the Hennessy family, with the site once housing the Bathurst to Tarana model railway, which is now on display at the Bathurst Rail Museum.

He said the centre will help complement a growing need for specialist cancer treatment in the Central West.

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"According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], one in two people will require some form of cancer treatment before the age of 85, and the risk increases with age," he said.

"Cancer is now classified as a chronic disease, which necessitates ongoing treatment options for patients as they manage their health."

VCW ran a successful fundraiser last week at The Greens on William to fund the project, with a further fundraiser scheduled at BoxGrove on June 26.

"We're currently working with Bathurst Regional Council to bring a development application into fruition, and early 2022 is our goal for the launch," Mr Collins said.

For more information, visit www.vitality.org.au or the Facebook page.

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