BANKIE comedian Kevin Bridges has joined forces with some of the UK's biggest names to open a new teenage cancer unit in Glasgow.

Kevin, the Teenage Cancer Trust’s west of Scotland ambassador, came together with the charity's honorary patrons Sarah, Duchess of York and The Who frontman, Roger Daltrey CBE, alongside Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Shona Robison MSP to open the new unit at the Royal Hospital for Children on Thursday.

The state-of-the-art facility is located within haemato-oncology ward 2A on the second floor at the Royal Hospital for Children.

A group of young cancer patients were involved in the overall design, which includes eight bedrooms, made-up of six single rooms and two single bone marrow transplant rooms, all with en-suite bathrooms - there are also eight day-beds, split between two day case rooms.

Each bed area comes with mood lighting, TV and DVD players, WIFi and laptops as well as the unit's large social area where young people can play computer games, listen to music, or watch films together.

Speaking of the opening, the funnyman said: “Meeting these young people who've been landed with cancer so early in their lives is very humbling.

"No one should go through that alone. I’m proud to see the people of Glasgow getting behind Teenage Cancer Trust and helping raise money to keep these services open.”

One such young person who met Kevin was Connor Quinn, from Glasgow, a patient at the unit who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia when he was just 12-years-old and during his treatment for the disease he suffered a further blow when he developed Acute Vascular Necrosis (AVN).

After two years in the clear, Connor was to be re-diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in February this year at 18-years-old.

The teenager, who help design the unit's social space, said: “Being treated on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit made me feel less isolated and alone during my treatment.

"I have made so many friends here and had some wonderful fun experiences both on and off the unit.

"The emotional support has made a big difference to me, whether it is just sitting chatting to Ronan, my Youth Support Coordinator or playing on the Xbox, it has been a great distraction at a difficult time for me.”

The new unit is a replacement for Teenage Cancer Trust’s interim facilities at the old Yorkhill Hospital and will provide care for young people with aged 13 to 16-years-old from the west of Scotland.

Teenage Cancer Trust is now appealing to local communities to continue supporting the unit.

All money raised will go towards the continued maintenance of the facilities, funding of specialist staff and supporting free cancer awareness sessions which are delivered in schools across Scotland.

To lend your support email fundraising@teenagecancertrust.org or call 020 7612 0370.