Appeal as income falls by a quarter
THE Christie has launched a new fundraising drive for 2021 in the face of steeply declining revenue.
The cancer hospital, which is opening a state-ofthe-art site in Macclesfield, has seen income fall by 25 per cent compared to a normal year thanks to Covid.
So it has launched the Christie Challenge for 2021 – where participants are encouraged to complete six fundraising activities over the course of the year.
For each activity the fundraiser completes, they will earn a part of a jigsaw medal, which when completed makes up a rainbow Christie embrace.
Louise Stimson, head of fundraising, said: “This is an incredibly difficult time for us all. We know many of our supporters and fundraisers have been struggling as a result of the pandemic, as well as cancer patients.
”As a charity, we have been hit hard. The loss of income directly impacts the support we can offer the hospital.
“We have never needed our supporters more – each and every penny raised makes a difference.
”We know we have to do things differently in 2021 and we must all stay safe. The activities and challenges we promote are all Covid-19 friendly.”
David Hutson, 62, was diagnosed with three separate cancers in three years – throat cancer in 2016, skin cancer in 2017 and prostate cancer in September 2018.
He became the first patient to be treated at the Christie using a revolutionary radiotherapy machine – the MR-linac.
The £5.3m machine was funded entirely by the Christie charity and David is urging people to continue supporting the cause in 2021.
He said: “Almost everyone has had a terrible year due to coronavirus but cancer patients have been some of the hardest hit over the last 12 months.”
THE Macclesfield Express is supporting the Christie in its bid to bring world-class cancer care to our town.
The internationally renowned Christie plans to open a centre in Macclesfield that would have 40,000 patient visits annually.
It is hoped the site will open at the beginning of 2022 in the grounds of Macclesfield District General Hospital and significantly reduce journey times for 1,500 patients a year.
Treatment offered would include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, palliative and outpatient care and clinical trials would also be carried out.
Among staff employed there will be dieticians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers, nurses, dementia and social care specialists.
But to turn this into reality the Christie needs to raise £23million.
Since the appeal to raise the money was launched in 2018 the people of Macclesfield and its surrounding areas have made truly remarkable efforts to help. There is still more to do though and anyone who wishes to give their support can visit www.christies.org/ macclesfield or call 0161 446 3988.