THIS is the pioneering centre that aims to lead the way in tackling a disease that affects one in 10 women.

Wythenshawe has been earmarked as the site for Europe's first centre of excellence for breast cancer prevention.

This artist's impression of the £10 million centre was released as leading specialist spoke of the ground-breaking scheme.

They explained the centre, which will be on the site of Wythenshawe Hospital, will bring together under one roof one of the most ambitious and comprehensive training, research and treatment programmes in the world.

As well as providing the residency for the UK's only professor of cancer prevention, the centre will also research cancer prevention drugs, explore defective hereditary breast cancer genes and the diet and lifestyle factors which may be triggers of the disease.

The bid to fund the project is being led by breast cancer charity the Genesis Appeal, whose patrons include Joan Collins and Maureen Lipman. Genesis supports research into prevention of breast cancer - a disease which kills 13,000 women in Britain every year.

To mark the launch, former athlete and BBC commentator Diane Modahl - herself a trustee and patron of the Genesis Appeal - released 2,000 pink balloons, to represent the number of women who develop breast cancer each year in the North West alone.

The launch coincided with breast cancer awareness month.