IN 2007, Trish Greensmith, from Willington, County Durham, was leading a happy life as a professional singer, touring the region’s pubs and clubs under her glamorous stage persona Chyrelle Addams.

But during a holiday in Majorca she discovered a lump on her breast, which turned out to be cancerous. She received the diagnosis on May 8 and from that day on her life was never the same. For out of her devastation grew an all-consuming desire to help others and, less than a year later, the Chyrelle Addams Cancer Support Trust was born.

Mrs Greensmith started out collecting at concerts in between courses of chemotherapy and raised £10,000 in three months. A decade later and she and her supporters have raised more than £300,000 for oncology equipment and have established a support centre that is a lifeline for hundreds of people.

Every year since her diagnosis, Mrs Greensmith, 55, has hung a pink ribbon on an apple tree in her back garden to mark the anniversary. The tree was planted by her husband while she was in hospital and like the charity has grown beyond her expectations.

“It just looked like a small stick in the ground but as you can see it has blossomed,” she said.

“At that point, I didn’t know whether I would be here in a year’s time, let alone ten. I had three tumours and it spread into my lymph nodes. It was a case of having the treatment and seeing what happens.”

During her treatment, Mrs Greensmith became aware of the need for more hospital equipment and as a professional singer she saw a way she could help raise funds.

However, she also felt there was a lack of practical and emotional support for people in the community and so in 2011 she opened her first cancer support centre in Willington offering various therapies, as well as providing wigs and makeup tuition.

Two years ago, the charity moved to the Royal Corner in Crook town centre, enabling it to expand its services. It now offers a host of therapies, along with counselling, crafts, yoga and more. Many activities are open to all, with only a small charge to help cover costs.

There is also a charity shop and the Trust owns a static caravan on the coast for cancer patients and their families to enjoy short holidays.

Mrs Greensmith said: “I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of my amazing friends and the volunteers, especially Kay Wigham, Alison Danby and Stacey Spindley. We are very much a team”