We were so delighted to learn recently that our charity had been chosen by the NFU Mutual Pembrokeshire Agency team to receive a very generous donation of £6,509
This year, NFU Mutual aims to distribute £1.92m to local charities across the UK, by continuing its ‘Agency Giving Fund’ initiative which supports front-line charitable activity and we are fortunate to have been selected as their charity of choice.
Our thanks to the Pembrokeshire Agency team for choosing us who wrote
"We are very grateful for the wonderful work your charity is undertaking to support our community."
One of our "Angels" in the Cancer Day Unit will be joining others on the 21st June to raise funds for the Unit when they participate in the Long Course Weekend at Tenby.
Please support Shelley if you can by following the link below.
" "I have decided to take on the challenge of the Long Course Wales Swim in Tenby along with my very good friend Gemma Wilson who is also taking on this challenge for charity. It definitely will be a challenge for me as I face my childhood fear in the sea, great whites. Yes I have feared Jaws for many many years and obviously in my mind the Pembrokeshire coast is full of them . This is in addition to many new found fears that I have discovered since starting training."
To read more and donate to support Shelley click on the link here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/shelley-price-1715072277256
How Our Funds Are Used
Thanks to the incredible support we continue to receive from Pembrokeshire people we wanted to let you know that our charity is funding four important initiatives which are benefitting cancer patients receiving support from the oncology and haematology teams at Withybush Hospital.
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We are contributing 50% of the salary costs over a three year period to enable nursing team member Holly Golden to gain additional knowledge and skills through work placement experience in centres of excellence and to shadow on a daily basis an experienced haematology team member so that vital skills and knowledge in fighting haematology illnesses are retained at Withybush Hospital;
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We are also continuing to support the cost of providing an important counselling service available to patients and their families who may be struggling when faced with a cancer diagnosis;
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We recently funded a short pilot project which helped patients who experienced hair loss due to their chemotherapy. Due to its success, we have agreed to provide funding for a further two years for the “Heads Up” project in Pembrokeshire which will roll out information advice and support to many more patients who might benefit from this additional help.
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We have helped over 140 patients to date with a non-repayable Patient Support Grant of up to £400 which helps with day to day living costs including heating and household costs plus travel costs for those who are required to make journeys to other hospitals to access some of their treatment.
We are doing what we can to offer practical help, so a big thank you to all of our supporters who have made this help possible with your donations.
A Thank You from Nigel
We were contacted recently by Noreen Hadfield from Milford Haven and stunned to receive a donation to the charity of £1,000 in memory of her late husband Nigel Hadfield.
It was Nigel's wish that donations in his memory would go to the Cancer Day Unit. A total of £2,000 was received by the family in total with the other £1,000 going to the Paul Sartori Foundation.
Clearly a very popular man in the local community he had been supported by the nursing team at our Cancer Day Unit over a number of years and wanted to convey his gratitude to his "other family" for the excellent care and support they gave him.
Many thanks Noreen for this support.
HEADS UP!
Extra Support for Patients
PHOTO: Members of the nursing and support team receiving awareness training from Cancer Hair Care
We are delighted that after funding a three month pilot project at Withybush Hospital aimed at supporting cancer patients who are experiencing hair loss our Trustees have agreed to provide the funding for an expanded project to be known as the “Heads Up” initiative which will run over a two year period in Pembrokeshire.
Trish George, charity treasurer said “The support offered to Pembrokeshire patients during the pilot period was very well received, where valuable information and advice, together with practical support were the key features of the project. Hair loss is a worrying issue for many men and women who are faced with chemotherapy, but the help offered prior to the pilot was limited. The pilot project was delivered by national charity Cancer Hair Care who are professionals in this area of expertise and they have agreed to deliver an expanded programme across the whole of the Hywel Dda area.”
Lead cancer nurse with Hywel Dda University Health Board, Gina Beard MBE, was instrumental in getting the pilot project off the ground and its proved to be very popular with patients who attend the Cancer Day Unit for their treatment.
Gina commented “During the three month pilot period the team at Cancer Hair Care proved to be excellent in engaging with our patients in tackling what can only be a highly sensitive and emotive subject of hair loss. The charity has drawn on their experience and shared their knowledge with sensitivity which has made such a difference to the participants. The charity has also raised helpful knowledge and understanding within of our clinical team.
Thanks to charitable funding we are now rolling out the programme across the Hywel Dda University Health Board area at all four of our hospitals and we are particularly grateful to local charity Withybush Hospital Cancer Day Unit Appeal who are coming on this journey with us by providing £49,500 of funding needed to take the Pembrokeshire project forward”.
A special thank you to Goff Thornberry from Hook for his wonderful donation of £3,000 which he made on behalf of his late brother Michael.
A keen supporter of local charities,it was Michaels wish that part of his estate should go to support the work of the Unit.
Our thanks to the Thornberry family for this generous donation which will be put to good use
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Goff Thornberry presenting his cheque to Bernie George, charity Trustee
Teeing Off for Charity
(l-r) Zoe, Hayley and Bernie George (charity Trustee)
Hats off to the amazing team at Dragon LNG who organised a highly successful charity Golf Day on Friday 28th July at Milford Haven Golf Club.
With over 100 participant golfers from Dragon LNG and local businesses the organisation for the day was faultless and resulted in raising lots of donations for the Cancer Day Unit Appeal.
The second event of its kind to support local charities, we were invited to join them in the clubhouse as their "charity of the year" to help with the fundraising.
A great experience and thanks to Lynette Round for her support and to the "professionals" - Zoe and Hayley
Special thanks to all the golfers for their generosity
Charity of the Year - Dragon LNG
How pleased are we to have been chosen as Dragon LNG's Charity of the Year!
A major energy supplier to the national grid and based here in Pembrokeshire, the company employs over 100 employees so we were delighted to hear that we were chosen by the workforce.
We were invited to meet with members of the Social Wellbeing Committee recently to update them on our activities and to learn of their plans to raise funds on our behalf over the coming twelve months.
Our thanks to all involved for supporting our charity in this way.
Only The Best for Pembrokeshire Patients
We are delighted to be able to fund the upgrade of furnishings within PHODU.
The chairs shown aside were "road tested" by the patients before an order was placed for 12 of them .
They have lots of great features which make them ideal for this environment. They have been well received by the patients who attend the Unit and the nursing team love them.
This would not be possible without the donations we receive on behalf of the Unit.
Thank you!
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Check It Out!
We've launched a brand new information website aimed at bringing together in one place the information, services and advice which you may need.
The information can be viewed here:
Knowledge and Information for Pembrokeshire Patients
Holly (left) with the lovely Tracey Thomas
Sharing Vital Knowledge
Great news!!
Our charity has agreed to contribute 50% of the cost of a supernumary nursing post over a three year period based at PHODU Withybush Hospital.
This innovative initiative will enable the post holder to shadow, on a day to day basis, the work of the existing nurse specialist , follow established training programmes and short visits to similar specialist teams across South Wales to help widen knowledge.
PHODU team member Sister Holly Golden has recently been appointed to the post and has already gained significant knowledge and skills in this specialist area of nursing. Working alongside Sister Tracey Thomas the project will increase the knowledge base and safeguard skills within the clinical nursing team at Withybush in the years to come.
We are so delighted to support this initiative
as it's a meaningful way that we can use the donations we have received for the good of patients.
Good luck Holly!
Help with Costs
We have now extended our Patient Support Grant (financial support) to cancer patients who , after being diagnosed with cancer at Withybush Hospital, need to have some of the treatment they require provided at another hospital.
For details -ask your nurse or the Pembrokeshire Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service
Sian is pictured presenting her donation to the nursing team
Well Done Sian!
Plucky Sian-Elin Davies signed up for this years CARTEN cycle challenge to help raise funds for the
Cancer Day Unit at Withybush Hospital.
CARTEN took place on May 7th and involved a cycle journey of 110 miles!
Why this challenge?
Sian decided to cycle in memory of her brother and her Dad who were both supported by the nursing teams at Withybush Hospital.
Before the event Sian commented:
"This will be my first challenge since I had back surgery a few years ago and although I’m feeling super anxious, I’m going give it a damn good shot!
Thanks to the wonderful support Sian has had she completed the course and has exceeded her target of £1,000 with the total currently standing at £1,600 - Wow! Please visit her fundraising page here:
The Results Are In !
Four well known faces of the PHODU nursing team at Withybush participated in last years Cardiff Virtual Half Marathon and received incredible support from the local community.
We can confirm that a final total of £1,368 was pledged in support of their efforts and is likely to rise further with Gift Aid.
This hard working team made the time to train for the event and all four completed their challenge.
Thank you so much to the nurses and to those who supported them with donations.
So inspiring!
Above: Suzann, Jenny,Tracey and Leann
Helen is pictured 2nd right with Penny
Cycling in Support of Others
Members of the CDU Nursing team were delighted to join us outside the hospital to accept a cheque from Helen Coles and Penny Lees. They both completed a challenging five day West to East cycle journey across England (some 200 plus miles) in aid of the CDU.
Helen, an ex-patient at the Unit, received amazing support from friends and family, raising an incredible £5,700 in the process.
What a challenge !
Well done from all at the charity.
30 Swims in 30 Days Achieved!
Alan Williams and his vast band of supporters held their final swim on the 30th June at Broad Haven. Thanks to his efforts and the wonderful support he has had, the result is a generous £1,300 to our charity with a similar amount going to local mental health charity -Get The Boys a Lift.
Alan commented on the experience:
"I wish to thank every single person for their involvement. 30 days 30 swims in memory of Branka was a small idea which snowballed into an uplifting and emotional event. It has been completed with everybody's encouragement and support. Your generosity has amazed me. Thank you one and all."
New Cancer Support Service in Pembrokeshire
The Old Mill Foundation based in Penclawdd has expanded its service of CANCER SUPPORT by opening a facility in the Narberth and in Haverfordwest.
The Foundation's aim is to provide emotional and physical support by taking an holistic approach to help promote health and well-being.
Services include reflexology, massage, reiki, crystals, hot stone therapy, bio-aura clearance and Indian head massage.
Look out for future updates.
Valuable Hi Tec Items Are on Their Way
We are delighted that our charity is funding some new equipment which will enhance the work of the nursing team. In the next few weeks PHODU nurses will each have access to their own I-Pad to assist them in recording and sharing up to the minute patient data with clinical colleagues.
In addition, we have purchased the latest in height and weight monitoring equipment.
(see our OUR PURCHASES page)
An Afternoon to Treasure
Following the recent closure of our charity shop the Trustees decided to arrange a thank you get together for all of our fantastic volunteers at wonderful
Crug Glas Country House.
All were treated to a lovely afternoon tea provided by Sandra and her team at Crug Glas and we were delighted to be joined by most of the nursing team from the Cancer Day Unit who wanted to offer their thanks.
How special!
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Support for Pembrokeshire Cancer Patients
In respose to a request which came from the senior nursing team at the Pembrokeshire Haematology and Oncology Day Unit, our charity is now able to support most cancer patients or their carers who are struggling with their finances as a result of their cancer diagnosis.
For more information contact the Macmillan Cancer Support advice centre at the entrance to Withybush Hospital. Alternatively, speak to one of the cancer clinicians at Withybush Hospital.