Welcome
Breast Biopsy Appeal
Bucks MRI Appeal
2.6 Challenge
HELLO and welcome to our latest, albeit different, edition of Update. Firstly and most importantly, we hope that you are keeping safe and well in these challenging times. We understand that things are very difficult for individuals, families and businesses at the moment but we want to keep in touch and let you know how Scannappeal are working to minimise the long term effects on our cherished charity.
We have been overwhelmed by your response to the Breast Biopsy Appeal and are delighted that we've reached the target in less than two years.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, Wycombe General Hospital has received a brand new MRI scanner.
200 People, 21 Marathons, One Goal! On Sunday 26 April hundreds of supporters got involved in the 2.6 Challenge.
The Breast Biopsy Appeal was launched in October 2018 with a steep target of £350,000 to equip a dedicated biopsy suite with 3D mammography technology at Wycombe General Hospital. With your incredible support we are delighted that we have placed the order for the equipment which will be in use soon.
The Bucks MRI Appeal was officially launched in January 2019 as the biggest appeal in our 33 year history. Not only did the £1.5 million target feel like a huge mountain to climb but it also came with a time frame to ensure that our local hospitals would be the first to get scanners of this kind in the UK.
The coronavirus crisis is a very worrying time for everyone. It is important to keep up-to-date with the latest advice on how to protect yourself and those around you.
The Bucks Integrated Breast Care Unit supports over 30,000 patients a year through breast screening and care, also seeing on average over 500 new symptomatic cases every month.
Scannappeal, like all other charities and businesses are closely following the Government advice and from 23 March we temporarily closed our office doors. However we very much remain open and are doing all we can to continue doing what we do best from the safety of our homes. We are very proud that we have been supporting Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust for over 30 years, and now more than ever, we are working hard to ensure we are still here for the next 30 years. With your support we know this will be possible.
The new biopsy suite will enable more targeted and high quality biopsies to be carried out with pinpoint accuracy, detecting more invasive cancers. It will improve visibility of early cancers, therefore improving prognosis. Capacity will be increased and the time patients wait from diagnosis to treatment will be greatly reduced.
We are thrilled to share with you that we are already over half way and after meticulous planning the Wycombe scanner was delivered by crane on 25 January 2020. Within two months of delivery the first patient was scanned and we were delighted to receive the following message from the Radiology Team:
On what should have been the 40th anniversary of the London Marathon, the world’s most iconic one-day fundraising event, the 2.6 Challenge launched as an initiative to save the UK’s charities. Over 200 people got involved including members of the Scannappeal team, our Patron Tom Kerridge and so many wonderful supporters to cover over 565 miles between them, the equivalent of 21 marathons!
I am sure that you will join us all in wishing all of our extended NHS family at local hospitals our strength, love and thanks for all they are doing to keep us safe and well.
We are very grateful for all of the community support for this appeal which means so much to the clinicians at the Breast Unit but most importantly to the patients across the county.
Best wishes,
Lisa Trivett, Scannappeal Director *The information contained in this newsletter is correct at the time of going to print and advice from the Government may have subsequently changed.
We would like to say a big thank you to each and every one of you for all your donations and support. We are looking forward to installing and using this new equipment soon. As and when the COVID situation resolves we are likely to be even busier and so this equipment will be coming in at a crucial time. This will allow us to deal with extra demand in an efficient way”. Dr Vaishali Gada, Consultant Radiologist
“It was very timely that under the difficult conditions caused by COVID-19 we have been able to move out of the mobile scanner and into our brand new scanning suite in the hospital. We send our sincere thanks to everyone who played a part in enabling this to happen”. Fundraising doesn’t stop here; stage two of the project is to install a second scanner at Stoke Mandeville Hospital by the end of this year. Despite the current conditions the project team are working behind the scenes to make sure it can still be delivered on time. Your donation today will ensure we can fulfil our promise to bring the best to Bucks, please pledge your support. scannappeal.org.uk
bht.info.scannappeal@nhs.net
Supporters were not just dusting off their trainers but also taking part in very imaginative ways including the 2.6 minute plank and hula hooping. We saw our youngest supporters, cartwheeling, bouncing and scooting in support. We cannot thankyou you all enough for getting involved.
“As a gym owner, I am always looking for great ways to make the community more active. The 2.6 Challenge for Scannappeal is one of best supported community events we have been involved with; it was so special to feel like we were all running together for a fantastic cause”. Steve, FitLife Owner
“I really enjoyed being involved with the 2.6 Challenge for Scannappeal. I ran 2.6 miles with my mum and did 26 backward walkovers round the garden and got family and friends to sponsor me”. Bella Cojeen, aged 9