£100,000 fundraising boost from charity shops for cancer Spotlight Appeal
Ringing tills at charity shops have made a real difference to a fundraising campaign aiming to buy modern radiotherapy equipment, helping improve the lives of cancer patients.
The impressive £100,000 came from the Mid and South Essex Hospitals Charity and Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation shops at Southend Hospital, Leigh, Westcliff and Hadleigh, all raising money through sales for the Spotlight Radiotherapy Appeal.
Emma Wynne-Morgan, Chair of Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation said: “We have been blown away by the support from our local communities. The charity shops jumping on-board to support the Spotlight Appeal highlights the commitment to such a meaningful cause, which will dramatically improve the experience of so many cancer patients receiving care at Southend Hospital.”
The Appeal’s total has now crossed the £400,000 mark and is looking to raise £600,000 for three surface guided radiation therapy systems.
This state-of-the-art technology means treatment will be quicker and no longer be uncomfortable and claustrophobic, tracking a patient’s position with pinpoint accuracy during radiotherapy, making sure that radiation reaches exactly the right place while avoiding vital organs. Once in place, it is estimated that these machines will help over 2,500 patients a year.
Once fundraising has been completed the Surface Guided Radiation Therapy equipment will be available to patients at the Mid and South Essex Cancer Centre at Southend Hospital, to give radiotherapy patients the best possible experience in terms of comfort, speed and accuracy by 2025.
To find out more about the Spotlight Radiotherapy Appeal and how to get involved in fundraising please visit www.spotlightappeal.org or email the team on mse.charity@nhs.net.