SOME 4,300 people in Yorkshire and the Humber phoned a national cancer charity to ask for help last year.

New figures from Macmillan Cancer Support show there were 143 callers in York - of these, 70 per cent of requests were for clinical information and emotional support while the remaining 30 per cent of calls were over welfare or financial guidance queries.

The charity has appealed for greater support for cancer patients.

Fay Scullion, general manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in Northern England said: “These figures illustrate just how many people affected by cancer across the area are reaching out for our help by calling the Macmillan Support Line - and this is only one of our many services.

"More and more people are surviving cancer and while that is great news, Macmillan is calling on the next government to prevent the soaring number of cancer patients pushing the NHS to its limit. Our Time to Choose campaign aims to make cancer care an election priority and avoid a cancer care crisis. So please go online and show your support.”

The free Macmillan support line is for anyone with questions about cancer. It is staffed by experts who can help with a range of queries - from advice and support with money worries, clinical and treatment information, to being there to listen if a caller just wants to talk.

The figures have been released to coincide with Cancer Talk Week, Macmillan’s annual awareness-raising week.

This year, Macmillan is calling on the public to pledge support online for the charity’s Time to Choose campaign and make sure improving cancer care is a priority for the next government at this year’s general election.

The Macmillan Support Line answered 148,792 calls in 2014 from across the UK, and is funded by donations to Macmillan.

Earlier this month, Macmillan revealed there will be a record high 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK in 2015 - an increase of almost half a million in the last five years.