A woman responsible for helping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the care of cancer patients in Bradford is leaving the city.

Michelle Norcliffe, fundraising manager for the Bradford Macmillan Cancer Relief appeal, who has worked in Bradford for four years, is leaving to take up a new position as a corporate fundraiser at the charity's head office in York.

Before she says her last goodbyes to the city, she will be taking part in one last fundraising effort - a trek in Peru in memory of relatives lost to cancer.

Her work has helped fund five additional Macmillan nurses to carry out specialist care for people with cancer. It has also funded a new position for an ethnic minority liaison worker.

"This position was particularly important for Bradford because the charity wanted to engage with ethnic minorities and inform them of the care available so they don't have to cope on their own," said Michelle, 30.

Michelle said the work of which she was most proud was the Shipley Stride - a five mile sponsored walk from Shipley Glen to Faweather Grange.

She said: "This was my biggest success. It was a very simple idea but it worked brilliantly because everybody could take part.

"In just two years we went from raising £6,000 from the first event to almost £20,000 from the second.

"The thing I will miss most about being in Bradford is working with so many different people whose dedication and enthusiasm to the charity has overwhelmed me.

"The lengths people go to for Macmillan constantly amazes me."

She said there was a lot of hard work still to do: "We still have another £240,000 to raise to reach the target of £675,000, so more donations and fundraising work is needed."

The cash is needed to pay for the staff for three years, after which they will be funded permanently by the NHS.

She said one of the reasons she decided to work for Macmillan was because the cause is close to her heart.

Michelle and her father Arthur Norcliffe are taking part in the Peru trek in memory of Arthur's brother, Leslie, who died of leukaemia, aged 24. "I wanted to join Michelle on this trip in memory of my brother who died at a very young age. I think the trip will be very rewarding," said Arthur, 58.

They are also walking to remember both Michelle's grandmothers and a friend, who all died of cancer.

"This just goes to prove how important the work of Macmillan is, practically everybody will have lost a relative to cancer," she said.

The father and daughter set off to Peru in three weeks and will walk and camp along the Inca Trail.

"I am very apprehensive about the trip because I have never done anything like this before," said Michelle.

The pair have been busy holding fundraising events throughout the year.

"We have held a garage sale, coffee mornings, a spiritualist event, a Chinese banquet and auction night and I even abseiled down a 200-foot dam," said Arthur.

So far they have raised £8,500.

"This is a nice way to finish things off and end my time in Bradford," said Michelle.