Members of Nantwich Christie Hospital Support Group have smashed the £300,000 barrier for funds raised for the Manchester specialist cancer centre.
They have achieved it over two decades of fundraising with a wide range of events.
They have held ladies lunches, quiz nights, film nights, fashion shows, Easter egg bingo as well as an annual flag day where they collect money each October/November in the town.
A Pie ‘n’ Pea Supper held in October raised more than £2,000 which took the fundraising total above £300,000.
Sarah Darlington, 46, from Nantwich, and group founder and chair, formed the group with some friends in 1993.
She had a special reason for choosing The Christie as the beneficiary.
“Without the Christie, I wouldn’t have the two most important men in my life,” she said.
“My father Tom was treated for cancer at The Christie in 1973 when I was a little girl.
“He’s now 88 and still goes into work most days.
“My husband Tim was also a patient there when he was 15 years old.
“Without The Christie, I could have been a little girl growing up without a dad and might never have met the man I married.
“Most people know someone affected by cancer and The Christie is a cause close to many people’s hearts.
“We get tremendous support from local people and businesses for our events and we try to organise something to appeal to everyone.”
Rebecca Jones, community fundraising manager at The Christie charity, said: “We are so grateful to the Nantwich Christie Hospital Support Group for its support over the past 20 years.
“Its fundraising has made a huge difference to the lives of our patients with funds going to vital cancer research and developments including The Manchester Cancer Research Centre and proton beam therapy research.
“Sarah and her fellow group members put a lot of effort into organising the events.
“To reach such an incredible milestone is amazing and we are so grateful for their continuing support.”
The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust through its fundraising activities, and delivers projects, equipment and improvements that are in line with the Trust’s overall plans and strategy.
The charity has more than 30,000 supporters who raised £13.3 million last year.
For further details on the Nantwich Christie Hospital Support Group and its latest fundraising events, visit its Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @NantChristie
(pictured above: Sarah Darlington and Neil Tinsley at the MCRC opening)
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