A BRAVE Hampshire charity worker is set for a trip of a lifetime to the other side of the world - seven years after she feared that cancer would kill her.

Grandmother Pauline Gale will soon be packing her bags and heading for Perth, Australia where she will be joining her daughter, Diane Gray.

It was about nine weeks ago that Diane and her husband Craig and their two children, Kenny, aged seven and Matthew, four, sold their Lock's Heath home for a new life in Australia.

After such a close brush with death, 56-year-old Pauline, who won her painful battle against throat and neck cancer, says she cannot bear to be parted from her family.

But Pauline, who is going to Australia on a four-year visa, says it's a trip that she never thought she would make after being stricken with cancer.

For six months Pauline, who lives at Bursledon, was unable to speak and lost her sense of taste.

Pauline, who for 11 years has run the Cancer Research Campaign's Eastleigh High Street shop, said: "Soup tasted like sugar and water like steel.

"I was off work for eight months and I had six weeks of radiotherapy.

"I have check ups up twice a year. I am now fine but I was one of the lucky ones.

''I went to hell and back but now every day is a bonus. I look at going to Australia as a new adventure.

"There was a time when I did not think I would make such trip but I am looking forward to joining my family and seeing my lovely grandsons."

Despite her own personal battle against cancer plucky Pauline has been in the fundraising frontline for cancer research.

She has been at the Eastleigh Cancer Research Campaign shop since it was opened nearly 11 years ago.

Her shining example of never giving up on life has helped other cancer sufferers face up to the disease.

In an emotional send-off staff and customers banded together over the weekend to say goodbye.

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