NIKKI and Richard Bowdidge find a blank spot on a building site wall and pick up a pen.

In black ink Richard writes ‘In memory of Tom - crack on!’.

He includes the date and the couple sign off with The Tom Bowdidge Foundation.

By Christmas, this particular wall will be part of a brand new cancer centre and, more importantly for the couple, the unit specially made for young people.

Richard know his words will eventually become just a small part of something much bigger, but what seems like an insignificant mark will be an indelible reminder of their contribution to this state-of-the-art facility.

These photos show the product of six months of building work for the new cancer centre at Colchester Hospital, the conclusion of years of campaigning and fundraising.

Work started in January to build the Collingwood Centre which will bring chemotherapy, haematology and radiotherapy treatments together in one location rather than a quarter of a mile apart through a labyrinth of corridors.

The centre is due to open to patients before Christmas.

It has been made possible following a £3.25 million fundraising drive, run by Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity and supported by the Gazette, which was launched in 2014.

A new wellbeing centre is also going to be built to provide complementary therapies, counselling, advice and support.

With progress being made at a steady pace the hospital charity has invited donors and patients in for a first glance.

The bare walls may not seem like much at the moment but it is an exciting vision of what is yet to come.

Caroline Bates, head of fundraising for the hospital charity, said: “We have been showing supporters and donors round the building site so they can see what they are helping to create and we have the opportunity to say thank you to them.

“It is possible to see the progress being made on a weekly basis.”

For some, this behind the scenes tour means more to them than others will ever understand.

Nikki and Tom Bowdidge are two of these people.

“Some people have taken the opportunity to leave their mark on the building by signing their names in places that will not be seen once the centre opens,” Caroline said.

“It’s just a small way of recognising their contribution and making them part of the centre in the future even if they are the only ones who know about it.”

The Tom Bowdidge Youth Cancer Foundation donated £50,000 to fund a two-chair chemotherapy bay, equipped and furnished to support young cancer patients.

Nikki and Richard Bowdidge donated the money on behalf of the foundation, which was set up in memory of their son, Tom, who lost his battle with cancer.

Tom was just 19-years-old when he died in 2013 from a desmoplastic small round cell tumour and extensive peritoneal disease.

His parents know all too well how vital the new facility will be.

Cancer patients are stereotypically older so facilities catering for younger patients can be scarce.

“We were thrilled to be part of this exciting project as we know only too well how important the environment is for young people to be treated in,” Nikki said.

Adult patients will be treated in bays with up to six chairs, unlike the current chemotherapy ward where patients are all treated in one large room.

Cancer treatment can be both physically and emotionally gruelling.

So everything and anything which can improve the experience makes the world of difference.

Included in that is a comfortable and calm environment.

It’s a requirement staff can appreciate, particularly those who work in the haematology department or on the Mary Barron chemotherapy suite.

When the Mary Baron suite moved from Essex County Hospital to the Colchester Hospital site about five years ago it was unfortunately not to make more space.

It was simply to have it on the main site - albeit in a temporary building a considerable walk away from the then new radiotherapy centre.

The hospital can see more than 4,000 cancer patients every year, many of them needing treatment.

It can no doubt become overcrowded and noisy, so two of the bays in the new cancer centre will overlook the courtyard garden and huge skylights will provide daylight to other treatment areas.

With the plans for the new centre there will be an increased number of chairs for patients receiving treatment.

Within the current haematology department, there are eight chairs with a further 15 in the Mary Barron suite.

This is expected to rise to a combined total of 32 at the new centre along with three beds for patients needing more rest.

Viv Ashley, a patient at the Mary Barron suite and her partner Rachel Fletcher, have been supporting the Cancer Centre Campaign for several years and visited the building site.

They both know how important it is to have a calm, quiet and practical space for treatment.

Viv said: “The Collingwood Centre will provide somewhere for the wonderful staff to do so much more for their patients.

“It is exciting to see how quickly the new centre is coming together and we look forward to seeing it completed.”

It has been such a long journey already, but the final hurdle is still to come.

There is less than £100,000 left to raise and the call for donations is as important as ever.

Events held every year to raise money for the new centre include the Santa Run in December, Invasion Colchester, the Starlight Walk and more.

Every donation, no matter how small, can make all the difference.

Funds will also be needed to pay for everything inside the building, including equipment and furniture.

There is a lot of work still to do but every day is a step closer.

Anyone wanting to make a donation can do so by visiting www.colchesteripswichcharity.org.uk.