Left to right: Pat Harper, Friends Committee Member, Jennifer Green, Head of Fundraising at Brighter Futures, Friends Chairman Janet Louth and Joan Davies, Friends Committee Member
On Friday 24 July, the Friends presented a cheque to Jennifer Green of Brighter Futures £10,000 towards its £2.9 million Radiotherapy Appeal.
Brighter Futures is the charity of the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Speaking at the Friends’ AGM in May 2015, Jennifer Green, Head of Fundraising for Brighter Futures explained that while radiotherapy had been proven to be a successful cancer treatment, it was not yet available at Great Western Hospital in Swindon. Instead, cancer patients had to make the lengthy journey to Oxford for treatment (a 92 mile round trip from Marlborough) which, she explained, could impact a patient’s health and well-being in the short term. Indeed, some patients decided not to follow up with the treatment because of the arduous journey.
The money raised by the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy appeal would allow for the purchase of Linear accelerators for the new Swindon-based radiotherapy centre, which Brighter Futures would hope to have up and running by April 2017.
Speaking of the £10,000 given to Brighter Futures, Janet Louth, Chairman of the Friends said:
“The aim of the Friends is to work to enhance the quality of life for people in the local community affected by ill health or disability. We recognise that a new radiotherapy unit based at Great Western Hospital in Swindon will benefit, among others, those in the Friends’ catchment area, and reduce the travelling times currently endured by cancer patients.” Click here to read more.
