July 2018 - One stall to rule them all...

Emma Churchyard and her friend Danielle Marie Duffy organised a stall at a local fate. They sat in the sun all day selling goodies for SWSG and they raised £478. Well done!

Oct 2018 - Shotley Shave

Kathy Lachetta lost her head of hair at The Rose, Shotley in October raising £2,417 including Gift Aid for SWSG.
Kathy said "Tony and I are just so appreciative for the care and support received, when going through his treatment".
Thank you for your kind words and fundraising.

Sept 2018 - Organ-ised music!

Jonathan Hunt arranged an organ recital to commemorate the end of WWI at St John's Church, Great Wenham, with an appearance from Organist extraordinaire Peter Holder from Westminister Abbey. This ticketed event with afternoon tea was sponsored by Gotelee Solicitors and raised £3,005 for SWSG.

Photo of the organ taken from www.suffolkchurches.co.uk

Sept 2018 - Running

Melanie Jay raised a total of £475 at the Big Fun Run 5K in Christchurch Park, running in memory of family member John Aldous. John was cared for on the Somersham Ward for his whole treatment process until he sadly passed away in Jan 2018 from Lymphoma.

June 2018 - Casting for Charity

During a blazing weekend in June, Suffolk SportsCast held a charity event on behalf of SWSG raising £937.00 after Gift Aid. Thank you to every one for taking part in this event and special congratulations to Owan Moyle for winning the Charity shield this year and to Ian Caley for winning the Dennis Retter Memorial Trophy for Apple Casting. Such a fantastic amount raised - thank you!

June 2018 - You can Bank on them!

Jane Driver, an employee of Ipswich Building Society, took part in the Orwell Walk. The £574 raised was match-funded by IBS (shown here with the large cheque) and a subsequent £40 was also generously donated.

July 2018 - The Fayre Farm

July 2018 - The Fayre Farm Friday Street Farm Shop (famous for its car boot) held its first ever Strawberry Fayre weekend in July this year. There were stalls aplenty, animals, face painting, live music and fairground rides…and sunshine!

Monies are still coming in and will be shared with St Elizabeth Hospice. Thank you to everyone who took part and attended. Here's to another one next year!! [Photos curtesy of the Friday Street Farm Shop Facebook page]

July 2018 - One stall to rule them all...

Emma Churchyard and her friend Danielle Marie Duffy organised a stall at a local fate. They sat in the sun all day selling goodies for SWSG and they raised £478. Well done!

June 2018 - Coffee Morning

Another successful coffee morning run by our very own Committee raised £764.13. We hold these biannually and are a wonderful way to meet the team and pass on your thanks, whilst helping us raise funds to help others.

April 2018 - Brave the Shave

14 year old daughter Rebecca braved the shave in April to celebrate 10 years since her mother had lung surgery and chemo to beat cancer. Photographed here in November with some fuzz on top alongside her proud mum and sister after raising £535.42 plus a further £70 in Gift Aid. Well done

February 2018 - Safety First

Ian Barber works for Kier Construction and received an award for his contribution to safety over the course of 2017 and as such was awarded £330 to give to a charity of his choice. As his mother was treated on the ward he chose SWSG.

February 2018 - Hospital Awards

Somersham Ward Support Group are the proud joint winners of the Supporters of the Year 2017. Some of the members of the Committee attended a celebratory event where their wonderful contribution to the Oncology Ward was celebrated.

January 2018 - A Close Shave

Before and after pictures of Lesley Thomas and Sam Lucas who had their heads shaved and raised an amazing £227.50 for SWSG, in honour of a close friend who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

December 2017 - 100% Generosity

Teresa Peck from the 100% Charity Shop held a well-attended event and donated money from that and her shop. Thank you so much.

November 2017 - Coffee morning success

We raised a massive £931.45 at the coffee morning. That is really amazing so a very big thank you to all who helped.

October 2017 - Thames Bridge Challenge

Shona Bracegirdle and Katie Bannister completed the Thames Bridge Challenge 2017. By walking over the 16 bridges along the Thames they raised £300 for Somersham Ward Support Group. After 25km you deserve to put your feet up!

September 2017 - Run. I do!

Luke Catchpole raised an amazing £2,118.70 for Somersham Ward Support Group running the London Marathon. Not only did he raise this amazing amount he also stopped after 22 miles and proposed to his girlfriend. Pictured at the presentation with his little daughter and members of the ward and support group.

August 2017 - Picture perfect

Mark Gilson donated a picture in memory of his wife Sue who was cared for on the ward and died earlier this year.

July 2017 - Hole in One!

Danny Blowers and Kevin Cole who work for Howdens recently held a golf day and all proceeds of £1,200 are being donated to SWSG. They have both had family members cared for on the ward and wanted to show their gratitude for the 'special care they received.

July 2017 - One foot in front of the other

The Distag QCS team organised a sponsored walk from Ipswich to Needham Market, totalling 11.5 miles. The team of 20 completed the walk in approx. 8 hours - the route was very scenic and luckily passed by a few pubs for refreshment purposes. Rebecca Booth, Commercial Manager, said "We chose the Somersham Ward Support Group to support as we felt it is a very worthy cause, close to many of our hearts here, as two of our team members have both had a relative looked after on the Somersham Ward, until they sadly passed away. We think that you do an amazing job looking after local people and it is a cause we very much wanted to support." Well done Distag QCS for raising over £1,100!

June 2017 - Tea and cake

A tea, coffee and cake afternoon was held in Bixley Road. Many thanks to Teresa and friends for the sum of £455 raised for Somersham Ward Support Group.

June 2017 - Are you sitting comfortably?

We received a thank you from the Service Manager of the Radiotherapy for our donation of chairs.

She said "We are thrilled with the chairs, which has already made a difference for the patients waiting for their Radiotherapy planning and treatment."

(see photos - before in pink and after in blue)

May 2017 - Beard-less

Joseph Bishop offered his face up for a sponsored beard shave in memory of a much-missed friend who passed away on the ward. His fresh-faced look raised SWSG £311.00.

May 2017 - Coffee morning success

SWSG raised an amazing £667.55 at the Spring/Summer coffee morning. We had about 50 people attend and we would like to thank everyone who helped to make this such a success.
Special thanks for all those who gave such wonderful raffle prizes, including Tesco Martlesham who donated a lovely chocolate cake.

April 2017 - Egg-Stravaganza!

Fiona Wilson organised a bumper event in Capel St Mary, with cakes, books and a raffle…not forgetting appearances from Pepper Pig and Easter Bunny! Fiona was inspired by the work of SWSG and work the volunteers do at the ward having had to spend 2 weeks there over the last few months whilst undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Fiona said "I hope to be able to raise lots of money for this amazing group as they touched so many lives and will continue to do so in the future. 1 in 2 of us will get cancer at some time in our lives so let's do what we can." We would like to thank Tesco Martlesham for donating some Easter eggs to the raffle, Bank of Ireland for their donation of £200 and Fiona who raised a further eggcellent £556.40.

March 2017 - On ya bike!

SWSG were contacted by Tesco Martlesham who wanted to hold an event to raise money on behalf of a colleague who was on the ward. They took it in turns to cycle a static bike and completed the distance from Tesco Martlesham to Somersham Village multiple times! Some of the SWSG went along to the event for moral support. They raised over £500 throughout the day.

February 2017 - Dancing feet

Martin Tickler, Chair of The Anglo Scottish Society of Ipswich, presents a cheque of £500 raised at their charity Scottish dance.

February 2017 - Head Shave

Mark Thurlow with his hairdresser Emma Wearing after his head shave at the Rose Inn, Shotley. Mark raised nearly £1,600 for Somersham Ward Support Group - fantastic!

January 2017 - Festive week

Zoe Blowers and Tracey Hammond from Gotelee Solicitors who raised £750 holding a Festive Week.

It all started with a 'Decorate Your Workspace' competition adding a little sparkle and lots of wrapping paper to normal office furnishings; followed by the 'Great Gotelee Bake Off' competition with much taste testing; a festive jumper day; a hot chocolate station and finishing with a "Pull my Cracker" raffle (thank you to the many local businesses that offered a raffle prize in the knowledge that this would aid SWSG).

Thank you to all the staff for taking part - we are pleased you had so much fun raising money for SWSG.

A full and proper article on the amazing generosity and FUNdraising is available here: Gotelee Solicitors Raises £750 For Somersham Ward Support Group

November 2016 - Coffee Morning

So we managed to sell all of our cake, old Christmas cards, enjoyed lots of tea with friends and some of us went home with a raffle prize. Total raised £682.54. Hoorah! Thank you for all who attended and donated in any way.

September 2016 - 30th Anniversary

Mark Murphy at BBC Radio Suffolk came to interview staff and volunteers from Somersham Ward at the 30th anniversary celebrations. Here is the audio from that.

September 2016 - Brave head shave

Donation of £800 from Rachel Ward who shaved her head to raise money for Somersham Ward Support Group in memory of her mother Susan Hughes who was a patient on the ward.

September 2016 - Baked goodies

The staff from the Pathology Lab at Ipswich Hospital had a cake baking competition, which was won by Caroline Warren. She chose Somersham Ward Support Group as the charity to which the proceeds should go. Here she is with her white-coated colleagues presenting a cheque for £100 to some of the SWSG Committee.

September 2016 - A haircut - the long and short of it

Alexia Titchmarsh has risen money for Somersham Ward Support Group, St Elizabeth Hospice and Macmillan Woolverstone Wish, by having her hair cut...a drastic 17 inches!!

Alexia wishes to thank Lewis Hair in Ipswich who styled and coloured the remaining hair to the colour of the lavender cancer ribbon. She was in the salon for 6 hours and all time given throughout the day was donated for free.

Alexia said "The work the Somersham Ward Support Group is a charity very close to my heart, after losing my husband to cancer 10 years ago. The staff and the group were excellent support for my husband and I during this very difficult time, and my dad is also now battling cancer and has spent some time on the ward."

September 2016 - 30th Anniversary

SWSG celebrated its 30th anniversary at the end of September. Patients past and present along with families, staff and supporters joined us in our celebration of achievements. The afternoon was a great success and none of it would be possible without the commitment of the volunteers who make such a difference. THANK YOU

May 2016 - Exercise DVD launch

Women who have been treated for breast cancer at Ipswich Hospital can now continue their rehabilitation at home thanks to the release of a Breast Exercise DVD - the first of its kind in the country.

A step-by-step guide to exercises that are specifically designed to help tackle some of the common problems associated with treatment, which can include stiffness, lack of strength and restricted movement in the shoulders, neck and back.

SWSG were pleased to donate funds towards this important project.

May 2016 - Charity car wash

Donation from Ian Gleed to SWSG committee for looking after his father, Alfred Charles (Ken the warrior) Gleed, so well in his last days
Ian said "We have nothing but praise for your dedicated and caring staff, we hope the small donation can help in some way. It was strange and it amused us a bit that we should be dealing with Alf the Matron and Dad was officially an Alf."

May 2016 - Walking for SWSG

Rebecca Hughes, Rachel Ward and Sarah Brill raised £465 doing the 25 mile Orwell Walk in memory of their mother Susan Hughes who died on the ward.

Rebecca also raised £310 selling her framed paper cuts.

May 2016 - Coffee Morning

We are pleased to be able to tell you that we raised £491 at the Somersham Ward Support Group Coffee Morning As there were only 40 people at the Coffee Morning instead of our usual 70 that was very good.

Thank you to everyone who helped in any way.

May 2016 - Charity car wash

A cheque for £417.20 presented by Heidi and Poppy Bingham of Andrew Bingham Funeral Directors to Luke Groves, vice chairperson of SWSG, from money raised by doing a sponsored car wash.

March 2016 - Quiz night

Photo is taken at the White Horse in Felixstowe where Ian and Stuart organised a quiz night raising £930.

The cheque is for £1,526 in memory of Ian's wife Juliet for which they completed a sponsored walk from Felixstowe Ferry to Somersham Ward on Boxing Day 2015.

February 2016 - Charity of the Year

Donation of £350 from Phil Ramsey, the outgoing chairman of the Ipswich 41 Club, who chose SWSG as his charity of the year. Two committee members were invited to talk at the club to raise awareness.

November 2015 - In loving memory

Donations of £1,100 were received from Ian Grimshaw in memory of his wife Juliet.

November 2015 - That's the Spirit!

£345 received from Brian Woods, who organised a spiritual evening with mediums, in memory of his daughter who spent some time on the ward.

November 2015 - Coffee with a Smile

On Sat 14th Nov the volunteers of SWSG held a coffee morning at Rushmere Village Church Hall. Friends of the charity helped raise £841 for this brilliant cause, with every penny going to help patients and families on the ward.

October 2015 - D I S C O

Dani Allum organised a charity Disco in October in memory of her late father who spent time on the ward. She danced her way to raising an amazing £1,656. Thank you

September 2015 - Speedy sponsor

Annie Keatley raised an amazing £6,482 doing a sponsored speedway cycle ride with speedway star Chris Louis, after spending time on the ward.

August 2015 - Crib Night

Gillian Hughes kindly organised a Charity Crib night on Friday 7th August at The Rose Shotley for the Peninsula crib players. They paid to play and held a raffle raising £220 on behalf of two friends who had been cared for by volunteers and staff on the ward.

July 2015 - In loving memory

Somersham Ward Support Group received £1,215.31 from donations in memory of Matthew Kerry (Matt). Matt was diagnosed with cancer of the bowel and liver two weeks before he passed away on 28th July 2015 on Somersham Ward. Matt achieved a lot in his 31 years, he was a Senior Design Engineer in the Telecoms industry, travelled to many countries, loved skiing and motorcycling. The Kerry family are grateful to the staff for their kindness and the support received whilst Matt was with them.

July 2015 - Shhhhh!!

Lucie Jenkins and her friend Freya raised £1,830.11 without making a peep! They took part in a 24 hour sponsored silence to raise money in the name of Briony Jenkins. Well done girls.

June 2015 - Jolly good Sport!!

Suffolk SportsCast held their annual Charity weekend in June on behalf of SWSG with over 20 casters attending. The Saturday being a fun day and Sunday a traditional tournament. Companies that donated raffle prizes included QTC Sakuma, Charlie at Reel Bearings, TG Rocket Fuels, Walton Pier and The Regal Fish Restaurant in Felixstowe…thank you. Overall the event raised nearly £500, well done to all involved.

June 2015 - Memorial Ball

Gail Jackson organised a memorial ball in Hoxne in memory of her beloved late husband, Trevor. We received three wonderful photographs: Gail dressed up for the ball with her two children, Hannah and Stuart; the hall decorated for the event; and lastly everyone having a good dance. So much effort went into the event and it raised a fantastic £2,080.

June 2015 - Sore feet

Becky Hughes, Rachel Ward and Sarah Brill raised £620 doing the 25 mile Orwell Walk. They smashed their original target of £100 and that was also after completing the Race4Life a week prior! They did so in memory of their mother Susan Hughes who sadly passed away in November 2013 and was described by Becky as the kindest warm hearted loveliest ladies ever to grace earth.

May 2015 - 10k Running for SWSG

Catherine Byrne and friends ran the 2015 Woodbridge 10k in May. Photos show before looking relaxed, starting out with enthusiasm, then after looking relieved and proud. They ran their socks off and raised an amazing £1,905.15 in the process.

April 2015 - Donation Received In Memory

Presentation by David Evans of donations in memory of his wife Ruth - £396.66.

Thank you, so very kind.

January 2015 - Hair today, gone tomorrow

Kevin Leach was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia at the end of October. 12 year old Bethany took a razor to her dad's head, shaving his hair completely for charity.

Donations came flooding in from every imaginable source, including pocket money from Bethany's friends at Debenham High School, and in the process she raised over £2,200 for the Somersham Ward Support Group.

December 2014 - Epic Year of Fundraising

The Bryanton family continue with their support of the SWSG in memory of Karan. This year Paul rode from John O'Groats to Ipswich Hospital to be greeted by all his supporters. The family also organised an evening dance event. Overall, they raised over £13,000 in 2014.

November 2014 - Xmas Bonanza

Two friends, Fiona Farrell and Marion Sheppard, organised a Christmas shopping event for SWSG at the Tithe Barn in Sproughton. The event included stalls from different craft makers, tombola, pre-loved books and raffle, as well as the kitchen selling hot and cold drinks, bacon rolls and homemade cakes. It raised £411. 60 for SWSG.

November 2014 - Christmas Bonanza in Sax

Friends, Emma Churchyard and Danielle Duffy, raised £1,037.99 by organising a Christmas bonanza in Saxmundham. A life sized Lightning McQueen from Pixar film 'Cars' was in attendance.

Newspaper sample courtesy of the Ipswich Star.

November 2014 - In loving memory

Dani Allum presenting SWSG Chairlady with a cheque of £866.70 from donations received following her father's funeral. He spent 4 weeks on the ward with a fast growing and inoperable brain tumour before passing away.

October 2014 - A Long Walk

In 2012, Jack Rosenthal's 21-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia and was initially treated on the Somersham Ward. She survived and nominated the support group as her chosen charity for any funds raised when he walked the GR10, the 550 mile long-distance footpath from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean along the Pyrenean ridge.

Jack said before the trip "The odds on completing this walk are not good. I can't go until too late in the season: facilities in the mountains will be shutting down; the weather may close in; it's an awfully long way up and down the steep Pyrennees, and I will be 67! But it's worth a try- people I saw battling on the ward did not give up because of poor odds."

Lizzie feels the Somersham Ward is the frontline, a ward where the efforts of the support group to make life a little easier for patients, family and friends really makes a difference.

Jack raised over £5,000 for SWSG, a very significant sum of money donated by over 140 supporters, and he was delighted when his daughter was able to join him for a few days on his adventure.

September 2014 - One Group effort

Employees of S E H French Limited and Jackson Civil Engineering, both part of the group of "One Group Construction" hold a monthly dress down day for a nominated charity picked from a hat. SWSG was nominated by Matthew Welham, who sadly lost his father to cancer 10 years ago. In addition to the dress down day he organised a cake sale and Ryder Cup sweepstake, raising £300.00 to help with the vital work on the ward.

July 2014 - Pictures in loving memory

Tony Carter kindly donated three pictures and £1,175.77 in memory of his wife Anita who died last year on the ward.

June 2014 - K.A.T.S. equals cash

Drama company K.A.T.S (Kesgrave Amateur Theatre Company) performed at The New Wolsey Studio, in June and donated money from the raffle to Somersham Ward. Written by Gail Young, the play covered some sensitive subjects regarding breast cancer whilst still managing to be a comedy. Angie Robertson said "The audience can write their loved ones messages of memory or of thoughts on the scenery and have their personal touch on the show all through the performance, after all, we all are affected by cancer in some way or another." It raised £112.09

December 2013 - Charity of the Year result!

In 2013 the staff of Suffolk Life chose SWSG to be their charity of the year. In total the 200 odd staff raised an amazing £13,497.49 for us (including match funding from Legal and General). They did this through bake sales, fun run, raffles, summer fate and a spray tan. Thank you SL you have been brilliant...good luck beating your total in 2014!

The money will be used to purchase a Sonosite Ultra Sound PICC Line Machine. Guided by ultrasound, a peripherally inserted central catheter is inserted into a vein in the upper arm and terminates in a large vein in the chest, near the heart. It is less evasive than the previous machine, very accurate and therefore has decreased complication risk.

There is only one of these machines in Ipswich hospital and the Somersham Ward staff are having to borrow this which is slowing down treatment. There is a specially trained nurse to implement treatment and patients can be treated in their own rooms decreasing discomfort, transportation and nursing care. It will be used widely to deliver antibiotics, pain medicine, chemotherapy, nutrition and for the drawing of blood samples.

September 2013 - Table Top Fun

Three Morrisons employees presented Somersham Ward Support Group with a donation of £676.91 after a table top sale held at the store.

August 2013 - Tandem-mania

Ian Seeley, partner at Prettys Solicitors, organised a sponsored Tandem challenge. The challenge involved riding a tandem to work each day of National Bike Week, with a different stoker on the back, each one a different colleague from the Pretty's office. The twist was that Ian rode to their house to collect them, and then ride home from their house at the end of the day. Over the course of the week Ian rode about 200 miles. In total he raised over £570 for the Charity.

June 2013 - Coffee Morning

Somersham Ward Support Group raised £800 n just 2 hours!

June 2013 - Cycle fundraiser

Rachel Crisp rode from Lands End to John O'Groats, covering approx 881 miles. She raised more than £1,700 for SWSG from friends and family.

March 2013 - Cake Sale Success

Caroline Warren, staff member of Ipswich Hospital, raised £210.00 for Somersham Ward Support Group by selling her award-winning homemade cakes to friends and staff members. Yum!

February 2013 - Local company donation

IPSWICH-BASED CRANE DONATES £18,000 TO THREE WORTHY LOCAL CHARITIES

In the current economic climate it’s often difficult to think about the needs of others but one Ipswich-based manufacturer is keen to show that the spirit of giving is alive and well.

On Friday 1 February representatives from Crane Building Services & Utilities (www.cranebsu.com) presented cheques to Shooting Stars at Ipswich Academy, the Somersham Ward Support Group at Ipswich Hospital and the Braintree, Halstead & Witham Citizens Advice Bureau as part of the company’s annual charitable giving programme.

Each year, Crane staff are invited to nominate local charities which have some form of affiliation to them and their families – particularly smaller ones that provide direct services to the needy and disadvantaged in the areas where they are based.

The Somersham Ward Support Group, a registered charity at Ipswich Hospital was nominated by two employees whose close family members have received treatment on the Somersham Ward which is the Cancer Unit at the Hospital.

Tony Baker, Hon. Treasurer of the Charity said “the aim of the Group is to try to reduce the trauma of treatment of cancer for the patient by any means which presents itself to us whether it be the provision of home comforts, re-furbishing day rooms and re-equipping them with recliner chairs, giving each patient an electronic bed or the provision of a children’s playroom. Donations are the major source of our income, these have reduced recently in the current climate and we are therefore very grateful to the Crane Fund for Widows and Children for their kind gift which is very much appreciated.”

Ipswich based Crane Building Services & Utilities (http://www.cranebsu.com) is a leading manufacturer of high performance engineered components for the utilities and building services sectors.

January 2013 - Charity of the Year

Suffolk Life, a local pension company, has made Somersham Ward Support Group it's charity of the year. They are hoping to top last year's donations and make £10,000.

November 2012 - Winter Coffee morning

Somersham Ward Support Group's coffee morning made over £600. Thanks to the friends and volunteers.

June 2012 - Coffee morning success

The Coffee Morning on 23rd June 2012 raised £675 for Somersham Ward Support Group. All monies will be spent on helping those in the Oncology dept.

The Committee would like to thank everybody who came, those who donated gifts/prizes and those who helped make the day possible.

March 2012 - TV for relatives

This man kindly donated a TV for the relatives room.

March 2012 - Anniversary raises money

Margaret and Russell Berry raised £200.00 in lieu of their Golden Wedding anniversary.

March 2012 - What a wonderful Birthday present

This lady presented £500.00 in lieu of gifts for 70th birthday.

March 2012 - Sale sells for Somersham Ward

This lady raised £1954.00 by organising a Charity evening, car boot sale, garden sale and by selling cards.

February 2012 - Winter Coffee Morning

The SWSG Winter Coffee morning held in Rushmere Village Hall raised a whopping £699 in 2 hours! The support was sensational and we are already organising our Summer 2012 event

November 2010 - Raising Money

Ed Thurell and his girlfriend Jo, from Diss raised a wonderful £400 for the Charity.

November 2010 - About Town

Leanna and friends bravely went into Ipswich town dressed up. Some were nurses and others in pyjamas. By visiting the Clubs, including The Swan, they raised £390.93.

(Apologies for the clarity of picture)

November 2010 - Marathon Man

Lee Rudland ran the London Marathon for Somersham Ward Support Group, raising £415 in the process. He managed the feat in just 3 hours 7 minutes.

Congratulations Lee.

November 2010 - Dancing For Charity

Ken Levett provided dance classess at St Michaels Church Hall in Stoke Park, Ipswich and raised £1,250 for Somersham Ward Support Group.

In five years they have raised £12,000 for the good cause.

(Apologies for the clarity of picture)

November 2010 - Charity of the Year at Ladies Club

Dalebridge Ladies Club in Ipswich made Somersham Ward Support Group it's Charity of the Year and raised £300.

(Apologies for the clarity of the picture)

November 2010 - RapidArc Donation Cuts Treatment Time

A generous charity donation has funded a state-of-the-art system to help cancer patients at Ipswich Hospital.

Somersham Ward Cancer Unit Support Group handed over a cheque for £180,000 to the radiotherapy department at the hospital, which will pay for new software, allowing patients to be treated quicker.

The cash has been pouring into the charity over the past couple of years, through fundraising events like coffee mornings, legacies, and both large and small donations.

At present those with certain cancers, like head and neck or prostate, can be treated with a type of radiotherapy called Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT). It means patients have to lie in the same position for around 20 minutes while they are subjected to radiation beams.

The upgraded system, called RapidArc, increases the number of beams and rotates, meaning patients only have to have the treatment for five minutes. The treatment is usually administered daily for six weeks.

Dr Christopher Scrase, clinical lead for the oncology department, said: “This will be a significant improvement for patient experience. It also improves the capacity for treatment.

“We are extremely grateful for the support group's generosity. It demonstrates their confidence in us as a department.”

Hayley James, operational head of radiotherapy physics, added: “We will be one of the first departments in the country to routinely offer RapidArc to patients"

Had the funding not been given, the department would have not been able to get the new software until at least 2011. It is expected to be in use by the New Year. It is hoped it will eventually be used to treat 30 per cent of all cancer patients.

Since the Somersham Ward Cancer Unit Support Group formed in 1986, the organisation has been a major hospital backer, including renovating an old smoke room to turn it into a children's room, and regularly providing toiletries and refreshments for the patients.

Tony Baker, the group's treasurer, said: “The new system gives radiation more accurately and in bigger doses so it is quicker for patients. The other big effect is they will be able to get more patients treated.”

Eileen Sharman, chairwoman, added: “This is a great chunk of money so we are pleased it is going to something worthwhile.”

EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES - (Issue: Wed 28 October 2009)

August 2010 - Freezing Bath Helps Patients Recover

Cells which help patients recover from cancer can now be frozen and used for future treatment thanks to state-of-the-art equipment.

The hospital's Somersham Ward Support Group - a group of volunteers who fundraise for the cancer ward - has bought a piece of kit to aid stem-cell transplants.

The new stem-cel bath is used to help patients who have myeloma, leukaemia and lymphoma (cancers of the blood).

Hermione Warner-Charlick, Haematology Clinical Nurce Specialist, said "Stem cells are collected from the patient when their disease is in remission and then frozen. The patient then has a high dose of chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy and we then give them their original cells back to create new bone marrow and help them recover."

"The cells can be stored for everal years at the national blood transfusion centre in Cambridge. The new bath is important because it quickly defrosts the frozen cells to give them back to the patient safely." The stem cells are stored at minus 190 degrees Celsius, in liquid nitrogen, and brought up to body temperature (37 degrees), in just under two minutes using the bath.

The stem-cell transplant service allows patients who live locally to contniue having treatment at out hospital, rather than needing to travel to another hospital in the region.

DISCOVER - The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Magazine (Issue 16: June/July 2010)