The Southern Charity Hospital now has a home in the Clifton Tavern.

The charity project is the legacy of Winton man Blair Vining who, before he died, worked to make cancer care more available while battling it himself.

His wife Melissa Vining says the support is a true reflection of the Southern community.

"I strongly believe the government has a responsibility to provide this healthcare to all of us.

"But in the interim, I will keep working away to try and change that and the hospital will provide much needed support to Southerners immediately."

She says there is a lot of work ahead to re-purpose the building to hospital standards.

"The Canterbury Charity Hospital, from a similar viewpoint, took two years, but obviously we are hopeful for a far shorter time frame than that." 

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