A BOWEL cancer charity has awarded a £4,850 research grant to two Plymouth projects.

Plymouth-based Bowel Cancer West has presented the inaugural David Darke Research Grant.

It supports projects which have the potential in improve the care of patients with the disease.

The money was split between Siobhan Creanor, from the University of Plymouth's department of mathematics and statistics, and Matt Wiggans, a research fellow in upper gastrointestinal surgery from Derriford Hospital and Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.

Siobhan's research will focus on identifying patients at higher risk of developing complications after major operations for bowel cancer.

Matt's will explore whether people who are affluent have a better outcome than patients who come from less privileged backgrounds, once bowel cancer has spread to the liver.

Mark Coleman, Bowel Cancer West founding director, said: "We are delighted to support work of this calibre. Using data in this way to look carefully at the results of the surgery we do is a very positive step.

"We are extremely grateful for the countless donations and fund raising efforts of local people and very pleased to be able to put that money into initiatives such as this, which will directly improve the quality of care that patients with bowel cancer receive, both in the West Country and across the UK."

Bowel Cancer West was established in 2010 with the aim of providing support and training to doctors and nurses looking after bowel cancer patients, and to fund clinical research.

For more information visit www.bowelcancerwest.org.uk