RJAH thanks supporters for raising half a million for Tumour Unit

Organisers at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital have officially closed their Bone Cancer Centre Appeal – and thanked fundraisers for successfully hitting the ambitious £500,000 target.

The Oswestry-based hospital’s supporters have generated the incredible sum, which contributed to building the new Tumour Unit which makes up part of the new £15.1million Theatre and Ward development that opened over the summer.

The funds were raised in a number of ways, from people running the London Marathon to donations on a specially created Just Giving page. The hospital’s League of Friends also raised a remarkable £150,000 towards the total.

The appeal officially closed on Monday 31st October and any donations that come in from now will be put in a designated Tumour Unit fund in the hospital’s general charity for the benefit of bone cancer patients.

Chief Executive Mark Brandreth said: “The Tumour Unit is one of five that deals with bone cancer surgery in the UK. A diagnosis can literally change somebody’s life.

“Thanks to the support from our fundraisers, that change for our patients can be treated with the highest quality care in state-of-the-art facilities.

“I’ve spoken to patients who have been treated at the unit and they are full of praise for the care they receive. This wouldn’t be possible without the fundraisers, so I give them my heartfelt thanks.”

Consultants Mr Paul Cool and Miss Gillian Cribb head up the Tumour Unit, they say the support has been overwhelming.

Mr Cool said: “Bone cancer treatment, like any for cancer, significantly impacts them. To have a brand new, comfortable unit to treat them in is incredibly important. None of it could happen without RJAH supporters raising money.”

Miss Cribb said: “How do you thank the fundraisers enough? This appeal has given us facilities that are up there with the very best in the country.

“We can now offer a purpose-built environment where patients can feel safe and in good hands. We are so grateful to the League of Friends and to the myriad of individual fundraisers who have gone out of their way to support us. Their efforts will have a lasting legacy.”

The appeal combined with the RJAH Charity General Funds contributed £1.5m as a whole to the new Theatre and Ward development.

A new appeal will be announced at a later date once another area of the hospital that needs more focused funding has been identified.