A CANCER sufferer's appeal to buy a hospital a life-saving skin cancer scanner is to benefit from a tribute show in Kidderminster, despite its second target having already been smashed by Posh and Becks.

When it was arranged that a showcase by Upfront Entertainment Agency would support Jacqui Davies's appeal to buy a £20,000 machine for Wordsley Hospital near Stourbridge, the courageous Kidderminster Hospital worker had already raised enough to buy one of the vital devices and was well on her way to a second.

That was before a surprise cheque from David and Victoria Beckham - believed to be in the region of £12,500 - took the total raised beyond £40,000 in January.

Despite this success, the first showcase of 2005 will go ahead as planned, and the money generated by the event - in which tribute artists perform live in the hope of being signed to Upfront - will go towards the "added" costs of getting the machines up and running.

One will be based at Wordsley Hospital, where Mrs Davies's skin cancer was detected during a check-up following reconstructive surgery to treat breast cancer, and the other in the community.

The devices, which are not available on the NHS, can examine abnormal-looking moles without surgery and advise on whether they should be removed and will benefit any Wyre Forest women referred to the unit.

Courageous Jacqui, who grew up in Cookley and went to school with Upfront Entertainment owner, Brian Davies, has also been supported in her mission by staff at Mirage Nightclub and Barclays in Kidderminster.

Some of the health care support assistant's colleagues at Kidderminster Hospital also raised £800 with a sponsored walk in the Wyre Forest, while the last showcase event of 2004, in November, raised £500.

"When I started my appeal in August, I thought it was going to take a couple of years to get one," Jacqui told the Shuttle/Times & News.

"I'm extremely grateful to the Beckhams but I don't want whatever Posh and Becks gave me to overshadow what everyone else has done because we've had pensioners giving £2 here and there and I don't want anyone to think what they have done hasn't been worthwhile."

More information on the showcase can be obtained by calling 01562 66350.