Village manager Rod Sawtell said he had personal experience with a need for the high-tech medical equipment.

"My father's just been diagnosed with cancer, so he's been travelling down to the Mater [hospital] in Newcastle and I've known other people [in the same boat]," he said.

"If they had a PET scanner here in Tamworth it would be a lot easier for a lot of people."

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Some 22 stallholders gathered at the Oak Tree Retirement Village on Saturday.

The retirement home holds an annual market day, raising money for a worthy, charitable, cause.

Mr Sawtell said residents had already raised about $1000 for the cancer centre even before the market day.

The hope was to raise an additional $4000 for the cause, but they achieved the target and more.

"We need it. We've got the North West Cancer Centre up there and we should be utilising it more," he said.

"It's a common experience to scan the whole body to locate where the cancer's located, it'd be used daily, easy."

PET scanners cost over $100,000, depending on the model.

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