Your hospital charity – supporting Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
The amazing handmade quilt made by the Parkham Quilters and the beautiful handmade bag made by Di Blackmore raised an amazing £367 for the Seamoor Chemotherapy Unit. Winning ticket nos were 226 for the quilt and 229 for the bag. Thank you to everyone who took part.
Before
NORTH MOLTON FARMER COLIN CHUGG resisted pleas from family and friends to tidy up his unruly hair and beard until Buttery Shoot Head Gamekeeper Gareth Clarke and fellow farmer Jim Nancekivell suggested the Over and Above’s Special Care Baby Unit Appeal.
The big shave took place at Poltimore Inn at North Molton, and Debbie Tapp was in charge of his shearing!
Among the spectators at North Molton’s Poltimore Inn were Debbie’s 5 year old son Charlie who was treated in the unit, and Gareth Clarke’s 9 year old twins Codie and Jasmine who also spent 3 weeks on SCBU. Gareth Clarke and Leah Jerrett raised more than £400 sponsorship for Colin as Leah and her twin brother Matthew were treated in SCBU some 24 years ago.
Many members of the community supported Colin including Polimore Inn, Bulled’s Village Shop and the local hunt and shoot.
After
Colin raised a magnificent £2,100 sponsorship before the big shave, and on the day he raised an additional £125 by allowing Debbie to remove his eyebrows. Colin is planning more fundraising for SCBU next year – possibly a wing walk!
Fundraiser Julie Whitton said “I hope someone has knitted Colin a hat to keep out the cold. His fundraising is phenomenal. If another 50 people could raise the same amount as Colin before Christmas we could reach our target to provide all the new equipment our Special Care Baby Unit needs to support our sickest and most vulnerable new born babies with urgent medical conditions – that would be the best Christmas present our Special Care Baby Unit could ever receive.”
Photograph: L-R : Debbie Tapp, Colin Chugg, Jane Dart, Gareth Clarke
Exmoor Ramble Organiser Ivan Huxtable and his grandson William with the Victoria Ward staff and their friends at the start of their fantastic walk over the stunning moors. Afterwards they enjoyed delicious stew and dumplings and scrumptious cake at Hinam Farm, near Dulverton. Almost 100 people enjoyed the walk organised by Ivan in aid of the hospital charity “Over and Above” in aid of the Victoria Cardiology Ward and North Devon Hospice.
HRH The Earl of Wessex visited Barnstaple today to officially open the new chemotherapy and day treatment unit at North Devon District Hospital.
Prince Edward was greeted by Mayor of Barnstaple Val Elkins before being led on a 45-minute tour of the Seamoor Unit by Ian Roome, fundraising manager for the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, and chairman Roger French.
The Prince met patients, staff, fundraisers, volunteers, the project team and others who helped to bring the £2.5million scheme to fruition.
He was also shown and given a slice of a spectacular cake in the shape of a royal crown, made by award-winning NDDH chef Meg Davis.
After a short speech by Mr French, the Prince unveiled a plaque next to the main entrance and declared the unit officially open.
He also gave an impromptu speech of his own to praise the new unit and everyone involved for making it happen.
Children from Pathfield School waved flags to welcome the Prince while Barnstaple Concert Band provided musical entertainment.
Dr Alison Diamond, chief executive, said: “It has been a momentous day for everyone involved and a great honour to welcome a member of the Royal Family to North Devon District Hospital.
“Prince Edward was very complimentary about the Seamoor Unit, the modern environment and the facilities that will make such a positive difference to thousands of patients and their families every year for generations to come.”
Mr Roome said: “The Prince was very warm and welcoming – a lovely man.
“He spoke to all the patients who were receiving treatment and heard how wonderful the new unit was compared to the old one.
“We weren’t expecting him to give a speech but he stood up and thanked all the staff and fundraisers and said how great the unit was.
“He spoke to everyone, including the schoolchildren, the band and bystanders.
“He was really interested in what was going on. It was absolutely phenomenal.”
The unit opened to patients in the spring following a four-year fundraising campaign led by the local community, known as the Chemotherapy Appeal.
The North Devon Cancer Care Centre Trust (NDCCCT) contributed £700,000 while the rest came thanks to the efforts and generosity of individuals, organisations and businesses.
Dr Diamond added: “We would like to reiterate our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this amazing project – staff, fundraisers, volunteers, the project team, the North Devon Gazette and many more.
“Thanks to you, we have a wonderful, state-of-the-art building which offers a fitting and comfortable environment for staff, patients and families, at a time in their lives when they need it the most.”
The Trust continues to raise vital funds to support its services, including the Seamoor Unit, through its charity Over and Above.
For more information about Over and Above and how you can help, call the fundraising team on 01271 311772, e-mail ndht.charity@nhs.net or visit https://overandabove.org.uk.
ADDITIONAL QUOTE ABOUT THE SEAMOOR UNIT
Charlotte Overney, lead nurse and cancer manager, said: “The feedback from patients has been overwhelmingly positive and our scores in the Friends and Family Test are consistently very high.
“Patients regularly comment on the quality of the environment, which is much more welcoming for patients and their families, as well as the high levels of care and support they receive from our staff.
“Many also say how nice it is to be able to have someone with them while they receive their treatment, which wasn’t possible in the old unit.”
INVITED GUESTS
HRH The Earl of Wessex met a number of invited guests during his visit.
The guests included:
ROYAL CROWN CAKE
The royal crown cake is made of Victoria sponge with jam and buttercream filling, coated with marzipan and fondant icing. The entire cake, including the jewels, is edible.
MORE INFORMATION
The Seamoor Unit was designed by architects from David Wilson Partnership, while UK construction company Morgan Sindall completed the build in 13 months with the help of local sub-contractors.
The unit contains a main treatment area named in memory of Jennifer Bonetta, founder of NDCCCT, which contains 14 treatment chairs in an open-plan design as suggested by patients.
There are also separate en-suite treatment rooms, seven consulting rooms for oncology and haematology outpatients, a resource room, a quiet room and a staff meeting room.
When patients arrive, they are met with a hotel-style reception and a large waiting area with a skylight which will be available for support groups to use in the evenings.
Outside, the unit has its own drop-off point as well as a courtyard and surrounding areas for use by patients.
Solar panels, under-floor heating and a sedum roof contribute to the eco-friendly design and the unit’s nomination to become the first building in North Devon to achieve a BREEAM excellence award for sustainability.
Lauren reaches Machu Picchu for the Seamoor Chemotherapy Appeal
Over and Above would like to say a big thank you to Lauren Murtagh (pictured above) who has raised nearly £7000 in sponsorship for the Seamoor Chemotherapy and Day Treatment Unit at North Devon District Hospital by trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru.
High in the Andes Mountains, this 15th-century Inca settlement is a UNESCO World Heritage site still undergoing archaeological study and restoration. Trekkers wishing to reach the summit must traverse the Inca Trail, which reaches nearly 8000 ft above sea level – high enough to cause altitude sickness amongst some climbers.
Although building work on the Seamoor Unit itself is now complete, the additional funds will go towards extra equipment and complimentary therapies over and above that which would normally be available to cancer patients.
Congratulations Lauren on a fantastic achievement.
Why not enjoy Esther’s scrumptious cakes in beautiful surroundings on Exmoor? On Tuesday the 15th of September Hinam farm will be organising a Tea & Craft Fair, with home-made cakes and refreshments, offering fun for the whole family. This great day out will be raising funds for the Stroke Units of North Devon District Hospital, Musgrove Hospital, and their respective local hospices. We hope to see you there!
Our sincere thanks to Parkham Patchers Quilting Group – who made us a stunning quilt to raffle in aid of the Seamoor Chemotherapy and Day Treatment Unit at North Devon District Hospital.
The quilt is made up of a Baltimore style pattern stitched into 20 blocks each of 12 ½ inches square.
Parkham Quilt Patcher Ann Hicks said “We all found enough patterns to make each block different and we agreed to use a range of fabrics called “Fossil Ferns,” but decided to use just five fabric colours from the pastel shades and not the traditional Baltimore colours of dark red, dark green and small amounts of gold”.
The quilt took the Parkham Patchers Quilting Group 11 months to make into a beautiful, stunning quilt which could be used as a wall hanging or a bed spread.
Fundraiser Julie Whitton said “The hospital charity is extremely grateful to Parkham Patchers Quilting Group for donating this amazing quilt to the Chemotherapy Unit. IT is absolutely stunning and we are sure it will make a lot of money for the unit.”
The quilt is now being raffled in the main foyer at the North Devon District Hospital – tickets can be purchased for £1, with all proceeds going towards the Seamoor Unit.
North Devon Rounders is organising its second Charity Fun Day in aid of the Special Care Baby Unit.
The event is taking place on Sunday 6th September 2015 at Barnstaple Rugby Club in place of the July event which had to be cancelled due to the weather. The Family tournament starts at 12.30 pm and the Adult tournament takes place at 2.30 pm. Entry per team is £15.
There will be lots of activities on the day including bouncy castles and catering supplied by Farmers Feast.
Fundraiser Julie Whitton said “It is brilliant that North Devon Rounders has organised a second event after the first one was cancelled due to bad weather. The Special Care Baby Unit Appeal is very special to us and this brilliant fundraising event will help us meet our £150,000 target to get equipment for the Special Care Baby Unit such as ventilators, incubators, breast pumps and so much more which is “over and above” what the NHS can provide.
To learn more about the event contact North Devon Rounders on Facebook or email northdevonrounders@outlook.com
“Over and Above” can be found online here: www.overandabove.org.uk, or contact the North Devon District Hospital Fundraising Team on 01271 311772 or email ndht.charity@nhs.net