Burnley Santa Stroll helps raise funds for new cancer equipment

Raising £1,500 to help buy new equipment for the chemotherapy units at Burnley General and the Royal Blackburn teaching hospitals proved a walk in the park for a group of Burnley fundraisers.
Helping Rosemere Cancer Foundation and ELHT&Me was a walk in the park for Ian Ponton and his granddaughter Ava MaeHelping Rosemere Cancer Foundation and ELHT&Me was a walk in the park for Ian Ponton and his granddaughter Ava Mae
Helping Rosemere Cancer Foundation and ELHT&Me was a walk in the park for Ian Ponton and his granddaughter Ava Mae

More than 30 people turned out for the town’s first ever official one-mile Thompson Park Santa Stroll, which was organised by Rosemere Cancer Foundation and ELHT&Me to buy two new Paxman Cooling Systems for the Primrose Unit, Burnley General Teaching Hospital’s new chemotherapy unit, and eight replacement caps for the two cooling systems in Blackburn.

The total cost of providing the kit is £28,579.

The cooling systems are machines designed to help prevent hair loss during some forms of chemotherapy treatment.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Patients wear special caps, often referred to as cold caps, which are attached to the machines. They work to chill the scalp so that its blood vessels, which feed hair follicles, narrow. In narrowing, less chemotherapy medicine is able to travel through the blood vessels to reach the follicles thereby reducing the risk of hair loss.

Among those taking part was Rosemere Cancer Foundation volunteer and former cancer patient Ian Ponton, of Burnley, who raised £1,000 through sponsorship.

A member of Abinger Street’s St Andrew’s Cricket and Bowling Club, Ian was instrumental in having Rosemere Cancer Foundation as this year’s beneficiary of the club’s annual crown green bowls handicap - the Greenhouse Cup - which raised £500 for the charity back in the summer.

Louise Grant, Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s East Lancashire fundraising co-ordinator, said: “We are very grateful to Ian and everyone who turned out to make the Santa Stroll such a great event. All our strollers and marshals got together afterwards for refreshments in the park’s pavilion, which is a great facility.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Like the park itself, I understand it has benefitted from some Heritage Lottery funding and we would like to thank community engagement ranger Victoria Wood for all her help in hosting the Santa Stroll."

Related topics: