Her dedication to the job in hand, however, is clear to see.

She said: “The Yorkshire Haven will be the first in the North of England and is vital to offer patients emotional support at a very difficult time. Although the NHS does a great job with the medical aspect of breast cancer, patients need emotional support at a very difficult time in their lives.

“Havens were started by our founder Sara Davenport, a young mum working and living in London. As a ‘sloan’ she had the services of a nanny, Wendy Ricketts, to look after her two children while she went out to work.

“One day Wendy told her she would need to take some time off work as she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A horrified Sara went with her to the doctor and was stunned to find a distinct lack of emotional support of any kind. “

Shortly afterwards in 1997 Sara took steps to remedy this situation by selling her art gallery in Knightsbridge to raise funds to buy a disused church in Fulham. She firmly believed that no-one should have to go through breast cancer alone and was determined to provide a solution and support for at least some of the UK’s breast cancer patients.

One of them is quoted in the Yorkshire Haven promotional literature. Joanne says: “Breast Cancer Haven is an exceptional place and there should be havens in every city in the world. I could not have imagined going through the last few months without its support.”

Sara and a friend, another Sarah and fellow ‘sloan’ set about raising the necessary £1 million to get the first London Haven up and running in time for 2000. Following this a second haven opened in Hereford and now this inspirational support system is coming to Yorkshire.

Leeds was chosen as the venue for the first Northern haven because it is already the location of a major NHS cancer centre and is highly accessible, being within easy reach of thousands of local women. With good rail, bus and road links, it was ideal and the contemporary Gateway building epitomises 21st Century Leeds, having already won various awards for its innovative design.

For Julie, who lives at Marsh in Huddersfield, the last 18 months have been incredible as more and more individuals and organisations have pledged their support to the Yorkshire Haven.

Before taking on her new role in Spring 2007, Julie had worked for various other charities including Oxfam, Epilepsy Action and the Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Originally from Manchester, she moved to Huddersfield following her marriage and now, as well as being a leading charity fundraiser, is also mum to three young children.

She says: “I am now in my 19th year of charity fundraising and it really does get harder every year. At the last count there were 190,000 registered charities in this country and each one is deserving in its own way. This means that pressure on fundraisers grows all the time as all charities compete for donations.

“I previously worked for three very different charities before taking on my role at Yorkshire Haven and I firmly believe this is a job which demands everything. It’s not a job to enter half-heartedly as fundraising gets harder all the time. Saying that however, I do love it.”

When it opens at the end of October – which is co-incidentally the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Yorkshire Haven will occupy the ground floor and mezzanine level of the inspirational Gateway building.

This tranquil setting will have six individual and two group therapy rooms, a kitchen and cafe area, information area, garden and office. The Haven will be accessible to everyone for treatments such as aromatherapy, reiki, massage etc and for talks, nutritional advice and programmes including yoga and thai chi.

“The building work is almost complete and it is stunning. The Gateway is a modern curved building which looks and feels great. It will be a fabulous place for women to get together and talk to others about their worries, fears and concerns,” said Julie.

“As a charity we are absolutely thrilled with the finished result and can’t wait to get Yorkshire Haven operational although we know lots of hard work is still to come as we fundraise to keep it up and running for years to come. The coming weeks and months are a hugely exciting time for all the team as we bring this project to fruition.”

Janet, a Yorkshire breast cancer patient who has visited the London Haven, said: “Once you’ve walked through the doors of the Haven, you feel safe. You can chill out and not feel stupid asking questions. You can switch off. I found it quite amazing – you are with people who you have never met before but there’s a kind of bond there. Everyone has been through the same experience.”

With over 41,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed every year in the UK (3,500 from the Yorkshire region), more Havens are needed. If all fundraisers have the same drive and determination as Julie Harrington, maybe more will be on the way pretty soon!