Trust fund’s £32,000 gift

Jaynie Huxley's Afternoon Tea Party at Maple House, organized to raise money for the Victoria Breast Care Unit at Royal Oldham Hospital. Pic shows Jaynie, left with some of her colleagues, the Community Mental Health team. Organiser Maureen Frier is seated 3rd from left. Phone

Women in Oldham have raised a bumper £32,000 towards a new treatment centre at the Christie Hospital.

Members of the Women’s Trust Fund raised the money with a variety of events including supermarket collections, coffee mornings, a farmers’ market, Chinese banquet, pub fun days and collection boxes.

The cash will go towards a new room at the specialist cancer hospital’s new £35m patient treatment centre. The new building, to open in 2010, will have the largest early clinical trials unit and an expanded chemotherapy service. The Women’s Trust Fund was formed in 1948 at the birth of the National Health Service to raise money for cancer research.

It has now raised nearly £4m in total, helping Christie’s invest in many pioneering facilities.
Jackie Plant, of the regional appeals office, said: “They are a tremendously dedicated group of ladies who work tirelessly to raise money for our hospital.

“This donation will undoubtedly boost the fund-raising efforts for our new patient treatment centre.”

Jackie met with trust fund members to accept their donation with Christie chief executive Caroline Shaw and “Coronation Street” star Sally Whittaker, who plays factory machinist Sally Webster.