The bequest by Armley doctor Maury Benard in memory of his late grandson Jeremy Allen was announced on the first anniversary of the start of the £3m appeal.

We are half way to reaching our target and now one of the two linear accelerator radiotherapy machine we aim to buy can be installed at the new Yorkshire Cancer Centre.

Dr Benard practised in Armley as a doctor and dentist. He was also a
Leeds councillor. He retired in 1987 and died in October 2004, aged 87, just a month after his wife Asneth died. Their £1m gift will go towards the equipment at the centre in St James's Hospital, Leeds.

Hamish MacDonald chairman of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation which initiated the appeal, said: "The legacy will result in substantial and lasting benefit to cancer sufferers and help provide our county with a centre of international excellence. We are immensely grateful to this public-spirited family."

Dr Benard was born in Leeds and qualified as a dentist before serving with the Army in North Africa from 1940, specialising in facial reconstruction.

After the war he studied medicine at Leeds University , where he became
a boxing champion.

In the 1968 poll in the new Castleton ward (Lower Armley and New Wortley) Dr Benard had the highest personal vote of any candidate in Leeds.

He knew so many local families he rarely needed to knock on a door when campaigning, driving in his trademark Jaguar, with the numberplate MB 400.

He served only three years, but left his mark by helping establish a unit for deafblind children at the Elmete Lane special school.

Dr Benard's daughter, Barbara Rider, said: "I am extremely proud my father has donated this money to this fantastic cause."

Paul Napier, editor of the YEP, said: "We are extremely grateful for the incredible generosity which will make such a difference to Yorkshire cancer patients."

Our campaign will fund two extra linear accelerators at the new £220m Yorkshire Cancer Centre, known as the Bexley Wing.

These machines – in addition to the 10 funded by the NHS – are so advanced that Leeds will become a world leader in cancer treatment and research. The equipment delivers radiation to the exact site of the cancer, making treatment more effective and cutting side-effects.

The response to our campaign, part of the larger £10m Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal, has been incredible – but we want to deliver the second machine.

To give to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal:
* Call: (0113) 2068444
* Email: info@yorkshirecancercentre.org.uk
* Send cheques made out to The Yorkshire Cancer Centre to Yorkshire Cancer Centre, Fundraising Department, Level 7, St James's Institute of Oncology, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF;
* Log on to www.yorkshirecancer centre.org.uk
Please mention the YEP when you get in touch.