Extra push for Accelerator Appeal
Published 14 Feb 2012 09:30
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Ambassador: Cancer Research UK ambassador Linda Downey.
A TIRELESS medical campaigner lobbying for lifesaving radiotherapy treatment is backing The Midweek's groundbreaking campaign to fund a high-tech cancer fighting machine.
Linda Downey, one of Reading's three Cancer Research UK ambassadors, this week endorsed our Accelerator Appeal to raise £100,000 towards a fifth Linear Accelerator (Linac) for the Royal Berkshire Hospital's Berkshire Cancer Centre.
Mrs Downey, from Tilehurst, said: "It's a really good initiative. There are so many hundreds of cancers and it's crucial that this type of equipment is available to the public so people can get the treatment they need."
The £1m Elekta Compact, the first of its kind in the country, is a smaller version of the hospital's four linear accelerators (Linacs) which destroy cancerous tumours using highly accurate radiation beams. Two larger linacs are already in use at the hospital, a partially constructed one is coming online later this year and another is installed at the Royal Berkshire Bracknell Clinic, which was officially opened by the Countess of Wessex last week. The new Linac will replace a 19-year-old model which will be decommissioned later this year.
Mrs Downey, 45, began campaigning for Cancer Research UK in November 2010 after her father Michael Sumpter, also from Tilehurst, was diagnosed with kidney cancer in February 2009.
She admitted it was "scary" when he was first diagnosed and added: "There's the feeling of the unknown and you have to put your faith in those that know, but not everyone has the access to care he had."
She works with fellow Reading ambassadors Aileen Davis and Lisa Fernandes and last year collected some of the 36,000 signatures for the charity's Voice of Radiotherapy campaign which representatives posted to David Cameron at 10 Downing Street in November.
The Royal Berks Charity still has a handful of spaces for the Mizuno Reading Half Marathon, which sets off from Green Park on Sunday, April 1. Runners tackling the 13.1 mile course must raise a minimum of £350 and the charity also needs volunteers and route marshals.
The charity is seeking pledges of long term support by making regular direct debit donations or leaving a legacy in their will.
Charity director Mark Goff said: "We want to establish there's something here on their doorstep they can get involved in and leave a legacy."
To donate contact 0118 322 6969 or email charity@royalberkshire.nhs.uk
Donors can also text RBCL05 to 70070 followed by any amount from £1 to £10, and ticking the gift aid box if applicable.
People can also send cheques addressed to 'The Royal Berks Charity Accelerator Fund' to Accelerator Appeal Royal Berks Charity, FREEPOST RLRJ-XCXE-XCZH, Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading,
RG1 5AN.
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 14 Feb 12
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