I remember just how wonderful the staff were who looked after my mum.
Why one supporter braved the shave
PAGE 8
Making Strides for Cancer Care
PAGE 4
Volunteer and become a charity champion
PAGE 10
Welcome to the spring/summer edition of your supporter magazine.
This edition features a number of truly inspirational stories and heartfelt accounts from patients, relatives and loved ones. We also celebrate a number of important and innovative projects funded through Royal Surrey Charity, as we look forward to having an even bigger impact on Royal Surrey patients and staff in the future.
As you will see in the following pages, the charity team and Royal Surrey staff members are very appreciative to everyone who has supported Royal Surrey Charity including those who took part in our first ever Stride for Cancer Care (see pages 4-5), supported our Pledge a Present Appeal (see page 2) and donated to our Cancer and Surgical Innovation Campaign. Many of the stories and initiatives you’ll see in the following pages would not be possible without you: thank you.
We’re looking forward to a range of exciting activities over the coming year including the NHS’ 75th Birthday in July. With over 1.3m people treated in England every day, it’s clear that the services provided through local NHS services have never been more important. A lot has changed since 1948, especially in terms of medical advancements. Royal Surrey Charity is proud to fund innovative projects that will deliver significant benefits to our patients in the future (see page 6).
We hope you enjoy this issue.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Pledge a Present appeal: your support made a huge difference.
96-year-old Patricia said:
“I received a lovely gift bag: it was so exciting, and it was filled with such lovely things – the crossword puzzle has been a brain stretcher, which is exactly what I need to keep me busy, and the lip balm has been very soothing. The sweets at the bottom made it feel like a real stocking! It really was so thoughtful. Thank you all.”
Big thank you to Puzzly UK for donating over 180 of these beautiful festive wooden jigsaws.
Guildford Golf Club’s Ladies’ Day tournament raised an incredible £2,000 for our breast unit. Thank you!
Squire’s in Milford donated a brilliant £1,303 from its popular Santa’s grotto. We’re thrilled to be the centre’s charity for another year!
Musical event, ‘A Positive Note’, raised a staggering £3,700 for our Cancer and Surgical Innovation Campaign, which aims to revolutionise surgery in Surrey and the South East.
Organised by fundraising group, Friends of Royal Surrey Charity, the evening saw four local choirs – including our very own Royal Surrey Choir – come together at Haslemere Hall. Thank you to everyone who attended, to the wonderful volunteers, to musical director Jake Hellier, and to the event sponsors: Home Instead Godalming and Moma restaurant in Haslemere.
If your company or workplace is looking for a charity of the year to support, we’d love to have a chat about how we can work together.
Lindsey, who works as a Nursing Sister in our Emergency Department, ran the 2022 London Marathon for Royal Surrey Charity and raised over £1,200.
Please contact Victoria: 01483 464146 rsch.charity@nhs.net
We were thrilled to hold our first sponsored walk, Stride for Cancer Care, last October.
The walk saw cancer patients, cancer survivors, those walking in memory of a loved one, and NHS staff come together to take on 10km, 15km and 25km distances.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who took part and helped raise a brilliant £23,000 to support world class care at St Luke’s Cancer Centre.
Phil works at the Royal Surrey and took part in the challenging 25km walk in memory of his father, Eddie, who died of bowel cancer six years ago and who he says he’ll always remember as ‘brave’.
Susan, who was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer last year, completed the 10km challenge – despite only finishing chemotherapy treatment 12 weeks before the walk: Without St Luke’s I wouldn’t be here. Back when I was having chemo, I didn’t imagine I’d be here doing this walk today. I got the ‘all clear’ at my follow up appointment last week, so today felt like a celebration.
Siblings Nikki, Karen, Philip and Andy walked 10km in memory of their Dad, Stephen, who they sadly lost three months before.
“The walk was really enjoyable – it was really nice spending some time together and sharing memories. When dad was in one of the wards with pneumonia, we sat and could see people walking across these hills…so it was nice to reflect on that today, as we were walking on those same hills and looking back at the hospital.”
“It’s been the perfect day: great weather, great walk…I’ve enjoyed meeting people along the way. And there’s some food at the end, so that’s precious.”
Liz, who has breast cancer and stage four lung cancer, took on the 25km challenge while on day four of a seven day fast:
There’s growing evidence around the benefits of fasting in slowing and even reversing cancer growth. I find it a really powerful thing to do and it helps me to feel in control.
For more information about the walk and how to register, see page 10.
Here are just some of the projects your donations have funded . . .
Lindsey said:
“Videos are an easy way for patients to access clear and simple information about cancer and diet. We’re extremely grateful to Royal Surrey Charity for giving us the funds to make the videos. We’ve searched for similar information available in video format, and there really is nothing out there like it. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of an ongoing body of work that we can build on.”
Watch the diet and cancer videos online at: royalsurrey.nhs.uk/dietandcancervideos
Last year, we launched our Bid for Better initiative, which encouraged staff to pitch their ideas to enhance patient care.
In total, 13 innovative projects received funding and we’re thrilled to bring you an update on two of these here.
Our brilliant Royal Surrey dieticians Lindsey Allen and Nicola Porter are the first in the UK to launch a series of 18 diet and cancer information videos. The videos aim to enhance patient care and experience by answering common dietary questions raised during cancer treatments. Each video is just two or three minutes long and provides help on questions such as what patients should eat if they’re losing weight during treatment, experiencing diarrhoea/constipation/ nausea/taste changes, are struggling to swallow, as well as information on food safety, vitamin and mineral supplements, and more.
Cancer patients at Royal Surrey will benefit from the latest technology to help radiation therapy better target cancers that lie just below the skin surface, as well as shorter appointment times.
Our radiotherapy department received funding for a 3D printer and clinical software, which can produce a perfectly sculptured ‘second skin’, known as bolus material, for patients who need radiotherapy for head and neck or anal cancers. The bolus is placed on the area of skin receiving radiation, improving treatment of cancerous cells that are close to the skin’s surface.
Mark, Deputy Head of Brachytherapy Physics, who led the bid for the new technology, said:
“Our cancer centre is a major referral centre dedicated to providing top-quality care. We are one of the few Trusts to adopt and implement the 3D printer and Royal Surrey prides itself on prioritising research and development.
Bid for Better has been a great scheme to ensure we keep at the cutting edge of technology.”
Thanks to a donation from the Luigi Francescon Trust, we have provided a cold cap machine for our mobile chemotherapy unit – meaning people with cancer can benefit from treatment closer to home.
The tightly fitting helmet-like hat is filled with a cold gel or liquid and is worn during chemotherapy to help prevent hair loss.
Our Oncology Matron Sarah Etherington told us:
We have several patients who live further away who were keen to attend the mobile unit but due
to their treatment and wanting to use the cold cap facility, they have to travel to the Royal Surrey, which can cause added stress and exhaustion.
Having the cold cap machine on our mobile unit allows us to treat patients closer to home and offer them a wide range of treatments, while releasing some of the pressure on our everexpanding chemotherapy day unit.
from extraordinary people
To mark 20 years since losing her ‘beautiful and brave’ mum Vivian to cancer, our inspirational supporter Collette decided she wanted to raise money in her mum’s memory by shaving her head. Here she tells us why she chose to brave the shave.
I wanted to mark the occasion, but nothing felt quite right: It’s so hard to fathom that it was 20 whole years ago because, honestly, there are days where the pain is still as raw as it was then.
A poignant memory of that time was just before Mum started radiotherapy treatment: my dad shaved her head to lessen the shock of the hair loss when it inevitably came. It was heartbreaking and confusing, but my mum, in her usual way, handled it with courage, dignity and grace, and ended up consoling nine-year-old me, who was in floods of tears.
So, on 26 October 2022, to mark 20 years since I lost my hero, I decided to shave my head
Fundraisers Adele and Carl visited our Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) with a donation of £3,821.50.
Our St Luke’s radiotherapy satellite Centre, which is based in Redhill, has benefited from an £8,000 donation from our amazing supporters, Horley Lions Club.
too, to raise money for Royal Surrey Charity –specifically St Luke’s Cancer Centre, where my mum was treated.
I organised a cabaret evening, Cababrave the Shave, at the Electric Theatre in Guildford, which incorporated the head shave. It was probably the most important night of my adult life so far: next level nerves, so many tears and the most profound sense of release and healing. We raised a staggering £5,000 from the evening, and I’m so proud and grateful to everyone who supported.
Though the memories of Mum being so poorly are mostly too awful to talk about – I do remember just how wonderful the staff were who looked after her: their kindness, professionalism and support is something I will never forget. I hope the money raised might just help families like ours when faced with the news that no one wants to hear – and when faced with the prospect of life without the person who means the most.
We are incredibly grateful to Collette and everyone who supported the event.
The family wanted to fundraise for the unit after their son, Louis, spent his first week in special care when he was unable to breathe on his own.
Adele told us how the sibling packs – which are funded by Royal Surrey Charity and contain a toy and a photo of their baby sibling – made such a difference to her two daughters, Halle and Mabel, who were aged four and five at the time.
The money raised will go towards more toys for sibling packs, and has already funded a new milk warmer for the unit.
Thank you to the Barnett family for their wonderful support, including now six-year-old Halle who, along with her friend, organised a Halloween fundraiser at her school.
The money raised from its bonfire and firework night will be used to replace the crucial respiratory monitoring system used for lung, abdominal and breast cancer patients. It will also support refurbishment of the patient lounge to make it a more welcoming and comfortable environment, as well as funding other vital equipment and staff development opportunities.
We are grateful to each and every one of you who support Royal Surrey Charity and help us transform care. Here we highlight and give thanks to community groups and companies who have supported us regularly over a number of years.
Fireproof Studios
Bosom Buddies
Guildford Golf Club
Rikkyo School in England Medirest
Butter and Cream Cakes
Hindhead Golf Club
MLM Concerts
“Probably the most important night of my adult life.”
- CollettePictured left: Inspiring fundraiser Collette shaved her head to mark 20 years since she lost her mum. © Front of House Photography
Our incredible volunteers are invaluable to the work we can achieve.
Royal Surrey Charity volunteers help prepare for events, raise awareness at fetes and assist with tabletop sales in the hospital – they are also great advocates for our work in the local community.
We’re looking for friendly charity champions to join our team. If you’re interested in finding out more, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!
£5 OFF!
When you sign up before the end of May. Use code WALK5 at checkout
royalsurreycharity.org.uk/stride
Back for its second year, our annual sponsored walk promises to be bigger and better in 2023.
Choose from a range of distances – including a new 5km accessible route (suitable for buggies, wheelchairs and shorter distance walking) – grab your walking shoes, and join us to make strides for cancer care.
Distance options: 5km (new for 2023), 10km, 15km, 25km
Registration: £20
Children 12 and under walk free
Looking for a thrilling, adrenaline-bursting experience that will take you out of your comfort zone?
Guildford Cathedral Abseil Saturday 10 June
Climb Guildford Cathedral's spiral staircase of 249 steps to a height of 160ft (49m), enjoy the wonderful panoramic views of Guildford beside the cathedral’s 15ft Golden Angel, before you boldly climb over the top.
Skydive
Sunday 6 August
Take to the skies and skydive 10,000ft to help raise vital funds for your local hospital.
Get in touch and get involved:
Thank you to our sponsors
Sign up at: royalsurreycharity.org.uk/stride
royalsurreycharity.org.uk
01483 464146
rsch.charity@nhs.net
We hold five themed cake sales at the Royal Surrey each year (see dates for diary) and rely on volunteer bakers to bake and donate sweet and savoury treats. Money raised from the bake sales supports our work transforming care in South West Surrey and beyond.
JUNE
Sat 10
Cathedral Abseil
JULY
Sun 2
Mon 3
- 9
Wed 5
Farnham Bike Ride
NHS Big Tea Cake Sale
NHS Big Tea
NHS 75th Birthday
Sun 6
Skydive
OCT
Sun 1
Sun 15
Mon 30
Mon 11
Stride for Cancer Care
Great South Run
Halloween Bake Sale
Christmas Bake Sale
Rally family and friends, choose a distance to suit you (5km, 10km, 15km, 25km) and get walking to support world class care at St Luke’s Cancer Centre.
