Future looks bright for new radiotherapy centre in Swindon
25/01/2019
This article is more than five years old.
A new radiotherapy centre, to be built and run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon, has moved a step closer following an announcement that £2.9 million has now been raised to fund the project.
Swindon-based charity Brighter Futures began fundraising for the centre, which will bring radiotherapy closer to home for thousands of cancer patients, in May 2015.
The £2.9 million raised by Brighter Futures will buy specialist equipment for the centre, which will be run by Oxford University Hospitals as an expansion of the service provided from the Churchill Hospital, and is expected to save over 13,000 journeys to Oxford every year.
The fundraising appeal received fantastic support from the local community, with hundreds of local people and organisations across Swindon and the surrounding areas taking part in fundraising activities.
Dr Claire Hobbs, Head of Radiotherapy at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said:
"We are very grateful to all the amazing people who have walked, climbed, partied, run and done all sort of other extraordinary things in order to provide additional funding for our new radiotherapy centre.
"It has long been our ambition to be able to deliver radiotherapy in Swindon and reduce the number of journeys people have to take and provide our services nearer to patients' homes."
Roger Hill, Chair at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"We are absolutely thrilled to have reached our target at Christmas, thanks to the generosity of local people, organisations and community groups.
"It's been amazing to see the local community pull together and get behind the appeal, raising money in such creative, challenging and fun ways over the last three and a half years."
Fundraisers and staff from both trusts gathered together for a celebration at the Great Western Hospital on the morning of Friday 25 January 2019, to share their personal stories and inspirational fundraising achievements.
The two trusts are working together so that building work can begin later in 2019, with the centre expected to open to patients in 2021.
You can find out more about Brighter Futures at www.brighterfuturesgwh.nhs.uk
Pictured: Dr Claire Hobbs, Head of Radiotherapy at Oxford University Hospitals, speaks outside the Great Western Hospital