Burnley cancer charity pledges £25,000 for new Endoscopy Suite at Burnley General

Keen to help ELHT&Me in any way they could, CARES presented the cheque to Kevin McGee, Chief Executive of ELHT, with Burnley MP and Shadow Minister for Health, Julie Cooper also in attendance, marking the start of a dedicated local campaign to raise the £525,000 for this much-needed facility.

“We’re delighted to be handing over this large sum to kick start our local fundraising campaign and cement our commitment to raising the funds for an additional Endoscopy Suite," said Sharon Froggatt, Relationship Manager for CARES. "We’ve been overwhelmed with the support and generosity from local businesses and individuals to date.

"We’re appealing for people to get behind our local cause and help make this life saving extra suite at the hospital a reality," she added.

CARES are committed to promoting the early assessment and rapid diagnosis of cancer in East Lancashire, with the Endoscopy Suite set to enable around 5,000 extra sessions to be undertaken each year, reducing waiting times, helping diagnose people more quickly, and saving lives.

The charity, based at the BPRCVS Centre, is also targeting local workplaces to raise awareness about early symptoms of cancer and arming local employers and staff with the information they need to spot the signs at an early stage.

Kevin McGee said: “We are really grateful to CARES for supporting us in our efforts to invest in additional capacity for earlier diagnosis and treatment of cancer in our community. The kindness of local people in donating to this appeal is very much appreciated."

To play a part in helping to save the lives of local people, donate to the Endoscopy appeal by texting ELHT22 £10 to 70070 and for further info about ELHT&Me, visit https://www.elht.nhs.uk/elht-and-me-charity. Those looking to support CARES' local campaigns to raise funds, head to www.carescharity.org.