IT WAS the icing on the cake for the new £4.5 million ARK Medical Facility at Basingstoke on Friday.

A large crowd gathered for the formal topping-out ceremony of The ARK medical facility at Basingstoke hospital.

Myrddin Rees - the Basingstoke medic behind the project - said the 10 years it had taken to bring it to this far had been like 10 rounds in a boxing match.

One of the country's top liver cancer surgeons, Mr Rees said: "The task of fundraising makes liver surgery look easy."

He also took a swipe at those who had cast doubt on the project. He told the audience: "For those of you speaking behind my back, I hope you will be gracious enough to pull shoulder to shoulder to help us finish it off."

Mr Rees said just under £250,000 was still needed to fit out the building.

He said there had been "huge disappointments" along the way - not least when the National Lottery refused three times to provide any money for The ARK.

But he said throughout he had been buoyed by the courage of his patients and the hard work of his supporters and fundraisers.

The formal cake cutting to mark the topping-out was performed by Jonty Horne and Stefan Wheeler (pictured). Mr Wheeler, 20, an electrician, was the youngest building worker on site. Mr Horne, a Basingstoke businessman, said he was very proud to be an ARK supporter.