£5million appeal to bring cancer services to Telford

A new £5million fundraising appeal has been launched to double the capacity of chemotherapy provision in the region – and bring a dedicated cancer treatment centre to Telford.

The ‘Sunflower Appeal’ has been launched by Lingen Davies Cancer Support, the region’s primary cancer charity, and the funds will be used to develop the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre at Princess Royal Hospital. Not only will the Centre offer up to 30 chemotherapy bays, it will also offer outpatient clinics, a specialist Urology Investigations Unit, and a lung diagnostic centre.  

The £5million appeal is a collaboration between Lingen Davies, which was launched originally in 1979 to establish cancer services in Shropshire, and the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust as part of the Hospitals Transformation Project. Cancer services are planned to be available in Telford by 2029 and will be created in addition to the existing services and clinics running at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

The Lingen Davies Cancer Centre in Telford will help address capacity issues across the region – enabling people from Telford to access care and services closer to home, reducing stress and worry of travel. Patients from throughout Shropshire and Mid Wales will benefit from capacity created in the new Centre, meaning patients may be seen and start their treatment more quickly.

A special appeal launch event was held last night (June 5) at Telford Football Club for specially invited guests including Shaun Davies MP for Telford, the charity’s President Lady Jane Heber-Percy, patrons, major donors and Lingen Davies stakeholders including the board of trustees, key volunteers, and staff. The charity also announced a name change from Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, to Lingen Davies Cancer Support. The charity has greatly expanded and diversified its work in recent years, and this change is intended to reflect this, while still recognising the charity’s original roots.

Naomi Atkin, CEO of Lingen Davies Cancer Support, said: “Combined with the existing chemotherapy services at the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, we will now be providing up to 60 bays for patients across the two hospital sites, that is doubling our capacity which is a vital step as we look to the future.

“This means patients across our entire region can access the treatment they need, where they need, quicker. More people will be able to access chemotherapy treatment when they need it, reducing waiting times and associated stress and worry, and helping contribute to improved outcomes. 

“This is a very important development for the region and one we are proud to be supporting. We have a series of events planned for our community to learn more about the project, and for those in our region who may not yet know about the work Lingen Davies undertakes, to find out more about us. See our website for full details about how you can get involved,” she added.

Tim Cooper, Chair of Lingen Davies Trustees, said: “The Sunflower Appeal is our biggest appeal to date, and certainly an ambitious one. We have set ourselves this four-year target and are fully committed to raising £5million to increase the capacity for cancer treatment and services. More people are being diagnosed with cancer, and thanks to earlier diagnosis, cancer prevention work, and better treatment options, more people are living with and beyond cancer. They all need our support.  

“We know that wait time and travel costs and times can cause a great deal of anxiety for patients and their families, who understandably want to be seen and be treated as quickly as possible. This project will reduce some of that anxiety and enable care to take place quicker. 

“As a team, we will be working hard working with major donors, corporate sponsors, and volunteers to help us reach this target and make a tangible difference to the lives of those impacted by cancer and their families. Please do reach out if you can spare time to support us or have any fundraising ideas and our team will be on hand to support you,” he added.

Jo Williams, Chief Executive for SaTH, said: “The development of cancer services at the Princess Royal Hospital has been a long-held commitment for the Trust and will support us to deliver modern and high-quality care for our patients closer to home.

“We are extremely grateful to Lingen Davies Cancer Support for working with us to fundraise for this appeal. Lingen Davies has been incredibly supportive of developments and investment in Cancer services at SaTH for 45 years. We are proud of our ongoing links to ensure local people can access excellent Cancer services locally.”

For more information on the Sunflower Appeal and the work of Lingen Davies Cancer Support visit the website www.lingendavies.co.uk