CANCER survivors met up with a TV presenter and top surgeons at Basingstoke hospital to exchange their experiences of bowel cancer and to discuss how to improve care for local patients.

The national programme of "Patient Parties" is the brainchild of Lynn Faulds Wood, the former presenter of BBC TV's Watchdog programme.

Around 11 years ago she developed advanced bowel cancer and was operated on by Professor Bill Heald at Basingstoke. She has now taken up campaigning to raise awareness and improve treatment.

She told the gathering: "Bowel cancer is the second biggest cancer killer but people just don't like coming forward to talk about it or the symptoms. We don't like talking about our giblets, do we?"

Lynn said she was interested in "the little things" that made the journey through care easier or which could be put right.

Earlier, she opened a suite at the hospital for the treatment of the rare cancer pseudomyxoma peritonei - a field in which the Basingstoke hospital leads the country.

The 52-year-old journalist told The Gazette: "We would like to bring everywhere up to the standard of Basing-stoke, but we know that's not quite possible."

The full team of Basingstoke surgeons took part and consultant Brendan Moran told the patients: "Basingstoke has been fantastic and you should feel you are contributing to teaching and training as well as being patients."

Professor Bill Heald said: "It's rather an emotional moment for me because the bit of you I know best is firmly on the seat. The whole point is for us to get better at looking after people."

A number of patients spoke to The Gazette about their own personal battles with bowel cancer.

Exercise and diet are known to reduce your chances of developing the disease, so for Clive Barber, 50, from Chineham, the illness was a big surprise. He was diagnosed just before he ran the London Marathon in 2000.

He told The Gazette: "It was a big shock. I had always kept fit and watched what I ate. I did not feel ill. But Mr Moran was superb."

Trish Gill, from Bartok Close, Basingstoke, was diagnosed in February last year. The 49-year-old said: "It was a terrible shock. When they told me on the phone at work that I needed to see the surgeon, I went to pieces."

She said: "My consultant surgeon, Mr Darren Gold, was brilliant - the best man in the world. And there was no waiting."

She said her illness would not have been detected if she had not gone to the doctor about haemorrhoids.

At 100 years of age, Florence Batt - known as Dot - is testament to the value of Professor Heald's total mesorectal excision technique. She had the operation 23 years ago and has had several other operations since.

The determined great-grandmother, from Cliddesden Road, said: "I'm a month over a hundred thanks to Mr Heald, who is a wonderful man."

Tony Reynolds, 77, from Hunters Close, Oakley, also managed to be optimistic when he had surgery last year. Referring to the surgery team, he said: "These guys are fantastic. I did not feel panicky."

Julia Hillyard is one of the pseudomyxoma peritonei patients who had to battle very hard with the NHS to obtain treatment at Basingstoke for this rare cancer of the appendix which causes swelling in the abdomen.

The 39-year-old magazine editor from London said: "It was a tremendous struggle just getting from Bart's hospital to here. By Christmas I looked eight months pregnant. But I'm pretty determined and forward-looking and Mr Moran has been marvellous."