Fundraising shop near Lancaster donates £2k to cancer charity

It was nominated to receive the award, which The Bentham Hub makes monthly to local good causes, by Bentham crafter Anne Duncan, who has supported both Rosemere Cancer Foundation and the oncology unit at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) for a number of years following a diagnosis of blood cancer.

Anne raises funds by selling her hand-made cards, floral decorations and other gifts at local coffee mornings, craft fairs and sales of work.

The award from The Bentham Hub will be put towards the final payment, which the charity owes on equipment that was installed at the end of last year in six out of seven radiotherapy treatment rooms at Rosemere Cancer Centre, Lancashire and south Cumbria’s specialist regional cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at Royal Preston Hospital.

The cancer centre provides all radiotherapy for all patients from the two counties – approximately 240 patients attend radiotherapy appointments there every day, five a days per week.

The new equipment means Rosemere Cancer Centre is now the largest single site SGRT – Surface Guided Radiotherapy Treatment – centre in the country and only the 15th specialist cancer centre out of the UK’s 65 such centres able to provide SGRT for its patients.

SGRT improves the effectiveness of radiotherapy treatment and patients’ experience of it.

Yvonne Stott, community and events fundraiser for Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “We are extremely grateful to Anne for nominating us and to The Bentham Hub for supporting the nomination and gifting us this award, which is funding equipment that is revolutionising local radiotherapy treatment for current patients on a roll-out basis and all future patients.”

The Bentham Hub, which also supports the Red Cross’s work in the Ukraine, has raised thousands of pounds for a variety of local charities and good causes. Its shop in Bentham, which sells a range of donated items from clothes to furniture, is staffed by a team of 26 volunteers, including owner Liz Brown and her friends Sharon Haslam and Lesley Barker.

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout south Cumbria and Lancashire being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre and also at another eight hospital cancer units, including at the RLI and Westmorland General Hospital.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journeys more effective, comfortable and stress-free.

For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk