Last night I attended a function at Clothworkers' Hall for the charity, Hope for Tomorrow. They have a wonderful and innovative idea of setting up mobile chemotherapy units, to take the treatment to the patient rather than them having to go to a hospital. The project was pioneered in Gloucestershire, and has been so successful that several hospitals up and down the country are looking at getting one of these units for themselves. Indeed, my wife Mary (Chairman of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) was sitting in the audience listening intently to Dr Sean Elyan, as he talked about the benefits of this innovation.
The highlight of the evening was a British designers fashion show, after which some of the clothes were auctioned off, raising £10,200. The evening raised some £47,600 for the charity, which was the highest amount they had managed at one function. As with so many charities up and down the country , there is always one person whose energy and ideas make it all possible. In this case, it is a lady called Christine Mills, who was almost in tears at the end of the evening. I look forward to the day when the press write about such people, rather than the endless pages devoted to minor personalities and pop stars who achieve so little.
The highlight of the evening was a British designers fashion show, after which some of the clothes were auctioned off, raising £10,200. The evening raised some £47,600 for the charity, which was the highest amount they had managed at one function. As with so many charities up and down the country , there is always one person whose energy and ideas make it all possible. In this case, it is a lady called Christine Mills, who was almost in tears at the end of the evening. I look forward to the day when the press write about such people, rather than the endless pages devoted to minor personalities and pop stars who achieve so little.
4 Comments:
The mobile Chemo units sound excellent (I first heard of a similar suggestion about nine years ago) given the often-suffered post Chemo nausea and the need of many such very ill patients having to travel for long distances and time (often using Public transport) to and from a hospital. And let's not talk NHS parking charges even for those receiving life-and-death illness treatments...
Anyway, I've heard of a number of "similar" mobile treatment schemes put-forward since "Trusts" were formed and funded. However, I'm not sure any came to functional fruition. One involved a tractor and trailer unit similar to a mobile Mammography unit being converted (to include hydraulic wheelchair lift) to two small operating areas to enable "Cataract" operations to be undertaken in towns and villages throughout the East Midlands. Apparently "Trust" jurisdiction rivallry over loss of patients using fixed base facilities ended that. And for the same reason a proposed mobile Physiotherapy unit enjoyed the same fate. Although individual "Trusts" would have paid far-less on their patients behalf, for the treatments, it all came to nothing. Interestingly, these mobile units projected 7-Day a week staffing/operation and funding costs that should have made "mobiles" compulsory, if for no other reason. Enough...
A bit like the staff-suggestion box. If the top-dogs don't see everything, warts and all, those with special agendas, territorial interests etc., ensure the status-quo remains...
...and Jeffrey, I entirely agree with your comments on Christine Mills and others like her who do so very much for so many disadvantaged people in the UK.
Strange that should be so. Human nature's quite incredible and, un-fathomable.
I have just finished reading a "Prisoner of Birth". If my eyes weren't hurting so much I would have finished it on first reading. Could not put it down. Excellent. Highly recommend it. Thanks Mr. Archer.
I wonder, do Charity founders/workers, receive proportionately similar awards..?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7750082.stm
Answers on a post-card to...
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