Chemotherapy unit bid off to a flyer

It means that the appeal fund is now more than half way to reaching its £100,000 target for a new, state-of-the-art chemotherapy unit at Burnley General Hospital that will be second to none in the country when it opens next spring.

Sue Thompson, Rosemere’s Chief Officer, said: “The response to the appeal from people in and around Burnley has been magnificent. We’re absolutely thrilled to be more than half way to reaching our target in such a short period of time however, we now need to push on. Please continue to support the Rosemere Burnley Chemotherapy Unit and together, we can achieve this fantastic facility for the Burnley area.”

Individual cash donations, supermarket collections, the proceeds from service and community club events and even the gift of 5,000 lip balms for sale on behalf of the appeal have all helped to swell its coffers.

Appeal leader Dan Hill, Rosemere’s East Lancs fundraising co-ordinator, said: “A massive thank you to everyone who has contacted me and who has supported the appeal in any way.

“The new chemotherapy unit is by far the biggest project we’ve ever been involved in as far as the Burnley area goes and the response has been unbelievable. We’re well on our way to cracking our target. I know that at this time of year, there are a lot of demands on people’s finances and a lot of charities, schools and other groups are asking for money however, if you are involved in an event and can spare some of the proceeds to help us reach our target, it would be wonderful.”

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, which manages Burnley General Hospital, is also contributing £100,000 towards the cost of the new chemotherapy unit. Once its build is complete, it will replace the hospital’s current, much smaller chemotherapy suite, which although provides an excellent level of care, has no room to expand or for additional, updated facilities.