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The newsletter for supporters of Southend Hospital Charity Registered Charity No. 1057266

WINTER 2017

Guests at the official openingof our wonderful new ColinGeorge Laparoscopic Theatregot a glimpse of tomorrow’sworld.

That is how Gareth Walsh,Director of Medical andSurgical Business forSouthend-based Olympus and named after him for all he did

for the hospital. We areimmensely proud of him andalthough it is a hugelyemotional day of both sadnessand joy, we couldn’t be happier

to have this theatre named afterColin as a fitting and lasting legacy.”

All theatre equipment is raisedabove floor level for a safer, cleanerenvironment with remote controlpanels operating the generators andcamera stack. Mood lighting andmusic provide a relaxed atmospherewhile 2D and 3D video give thesurgeon a greater depth ofperception. Brand new instruments,exclusive to Olympus, combineadvanced bipolar and ultrasonicenergy to be able to both cut andseal at the same time. Surgeons cansee, treat and control and providereally detailed reports.

Mr George’s successor as Chairman,Mick Thwaites, dubbed the theatres’another groundbreaking facility forthis hospital’ and raised a chucklewhen he added: “But this is no timeto slack; so get out there and startraising money for the new ForWards Appeal!”

contribution’ of Colin George,the late Charitable FoundationChairman after whom the newtheatre is named, and said hewas humbled to learn how themoney was raised.

The Keyhole Cancer Appeallaunched in 2014 with the

unforgettable Around the World in80 Days cycling challenge whichcaptured the imaginations of dozensof supporters and raised £30,000.Since then, fundraisers have onceagain undertaken personalchallenges, organised events andrallied round magnificently to makethe vision a reality.

Mr George’s wife, Pamela, whoattended the official opening withthe couple’s children Stephen andChristine, said: “ Colin would havebeen delighted at seeing thistheatre completed; it lookswonderful. He would have beentruly honoured to have seen it

Our new laparoscopictheatre opens

a staunch fan of the eponymouslong-running popular science andtechnology TV programme,described the new theatre, adding itput Southend University Hospital‘right at the forefront oftechnology’.

“It is truly a wonderful projectwhich has been fulfilled here. This is one of the best projects we haveworked on together. A hugeamount of work has gone into itand everyone should be rightlyproud of what they have done to achieve it.”

Hospital Chairman, Alan Tobias, paidtribute to the ‘invaluable

2 Fundraising news winter 2017

Dear Supporters

For Wards appeal

Well, there’s anotheryear nearly gone - butwhat a fantastic amountwe have achieved in thattime. And it is all thanksto you, our loyal fund-raisers and supporters,who never fail tooverwhelm us with your energy, innovativeideas, dedication and determination.

As you will see in the following pages, ourfabulous new laparoscopic theatre -funded by our successful £500,000 KeyholeCancer Appeal - opened for its firstpatients on October 10. What a specialoccasion it was - a celebration of all themany, many hours of hard work which hadgone into the planning, design and, ofcourse, raising the money to bring thevision to reality. And, in the summer, wehad a wonderful evening at the GentingCasino to launch our new For WardsAppeal to mark the 20-year anniversary ofSouthend Hospital Charitable Foundation.Once again, you are getting right behindthe Appeal to help us on our way toraising £500,000 to grant 20 wishes from20 different areas of the hospital.

Yes, it really is 20 years since the hospital’sCharitable Foundation was set up. Back in1998 - the year of the Good FridayAgreement and when the likes of CelineDion, The Spice Girls and Boyzone weretopping the charts - the Foundationseemed a fitting way to mark the 50thanniversary of the NHS and continue thelong-standing tradition of local supportwhich had helped establish the hospital in1932. Our first venture was our £400,000Leukaemia Unit Appeal and once againour loyal community came up trumps.Since then, we have just gone fromstrength to strength, raising getting on for£4.6m for a succession of Appeals toprovide invaluable equipment andadditional patient comforts.

So, once again, huge thanks for everythingyou do for us. We are so lucky to have you.

And, of course, the whole fundraisingteam joins me in wishing you a very happy and peaceful Christmas and awonderful 2018.

Associate Director of Fundraising and Community Engagement

20th anniversary appealis looking For WardsTrustees of Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation were joinedby staff, supporters and volunteers in June to celebrate the launchof our new Appeal.

The launch took place at the Genting Casino in Westcliff and the ForWards Appeal aims to raise £500,000 for 20 transformationalprojects across areas such as the Neonatal Unit, Urology,Chemotherapy andAudiology, to namebut a few.

As well as fundinglife-saving medicalequipment andpioneering newtechnology, the ForWards Appeal willpay for patient-friendly artwork andamenities to keeppatient comfort andwellbeing at theheart of thehospital.

Neil Rothnie,Medical Director atSouthend Hospital,said: “On behalf of

the board of SouthendUniversity Hospital I wouldlike to thank Mick Thwaitesand the trustees for theirongoing support andcongratulate them on theirforthcoming 20thAnniversary.

“£4.6m is an extraordinarysum of money to have raised in a relatively short amount of time,and is a testament to the hard work of the trustees. It also showshow lucky we are to have the support of our local community, notjust the money raised, but the time given by our 500-strongvolunteer workforce.”

A video, also launched on the evening, showcases the lengthspeople will go to raise money for the hospital, from skydives andabseils to sponsored walks and raft races. Equally impressive is thededication of voluntary groups who support the charity year on yearand the individuals who raise money for a cause close to their heart.

Neil added: “This is partnership working at its best and one I hopewill continue for many more years to come. Here’s to the next 20 years.”

Our For Wards fundraising video can be found on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a4S2xAOvD8

Fundraising news winter 2017 3

One of the ‘twenty twenty visions’ -20 transformational projects for 20different areas of the hospital tomark the 20th anniversary of ourCharitable Foundation - is to createa new four-bedded HighDependency Unit (HDU) for ourmore severely ill patients.

At present, we have a Critical CareUnit with 10 beds where critically illand unstable patients receiveintensive care and one-to-onemonitoring.

But, with the sustained increase indemand for urgent care in recentyears, combined with more seriousconditions as ever more complexoperations are available, we need toprovide high dependency beds.

Karen Kinnear, Associate Directorfor Theatres, Critical Care andAnaesthetics, said: “A highdependency unit is a ward forpeople who need more intensiveobservation, treatment and nursingcare than is possible in a generalward but slightly less than thatgiven in intensive care.”

Initially, we plan to open two of thehigh dependency beds on theCardiac Care Unit whilstrefurbishment is being completedon Kitty Hubbard Ward. A furthertwo beds will then be opened byFebruary next year, when the entireunit will be located on KittyHubbard.

Once the HDU is up and running, wewould hope to double its capacity by2018/19. Each bed will cost around£50,000 to equip and our Appealaims to fund two of them, as well as

a wide range of complex medicalequipment.

These include a £6,000 defibrillatorto deliver a high-energy electricshock to the heart of a patienthaving a cardiac arrest; a £15,000continuous renal replacementtherapy (CRRT) machine to filter theblood of critically ill patients withkidney injury; a £17,000 difficult

Medical emergencyassistant (MEA) ShaneyGardner iswholeheartedlybacking the HDU’sFor Wards Appealproject.

She has first-handknowledge of thefantastic work doneby the team afterspending eight weeks inCritical Care back in 2014.The 23-year-old from Canvey hadnot long started work as aHealthcare Assistant (HCA) here atSouthend when she started to getbad headaches - something sheinitially dismissed as due to longhours in the new job.

Then she woke one morning andwas violently sick, so visited her GPwho diagnosed flu. By the nextmorning, she was unconscious andrushed to A&E - something she hasno memory of. It turned out she hadmeningitis and the rare Bickerstaff’sBrainstem Encephalitis.

She needed a tracheostomy, was puton a ventilator, and spent threeweeks in an induced coma. She then

Fistsful of cash kick-started out new £500,000 Appeal when volunteersand staff from Waitrose Southend strategically positioned themselves atthe hospital entrances every day for a week. As always, visitors weregenerous in their support and by Friday afternoon the total was just 60pshort of £500. Huge thanks to them and to our band of cheery helpersincluding Faye Rouse and Catherine Le-Mare (pictured).

Our vision for HDU

Coining it in for ournew For Wards Appeal

intubation trolley (DAT) equippedwith vital equipment needed tomanage difficult airway situationsand aid fibreoptic bronchoscopy and a £4,000 hoist to safely moveseverely injured and critically illpatients.

had three weeks on aneurological ward beforeshe was allowed homeand spent another yearoff work recovering.

“I didn’t want towork in the hospitalagain. But then Ispoke to someone who

worked on theAmbulatory Unit and

decided I would like to dothat and have now been here

a year as a MEA,” she said.

Although Shaney can rememberonly parts of her time in CriticalCare, she knows from her parentshow caring staff there were - notjust for her but for her entire family.

“You couldn’t fault them - they werebrilliant.

“Now I feel fine - you would neverknow I had been through all that.All that remains is a bit of nervedamage around my bladder whichhas got a lot better.”

Shaney has already helped raised£1,500 for the unit through a charityrace night and is staunchly behindour For Wards Appeal.

Young patients being cared for inour Neptune Ward can getwhisked away from thebewildering clinical environmentby taking a ‘magic carpet ride’.

Thanks to some fantastic supportfrom fundraisers, we have beenable to purchase this excitinginteractive projection system which

grabs the imaginations of all ages and abilities.

Controlled by a tablet device, the £8,000 ‘magic carpet’ projects hundredsof different scenes onto any surface, be it a wheelchair tray or a bed sheet,and can be interacted with by the slightest movement. As it is mobile, it can be taken to a sick child’s bedside or used in a play area to entertain,educate and - most importantly - distract a patient when they need it most.

The bulk of the money came from Rosemary Slade from United AgainstCancer and Alan Bloomfield of the Janet Bloomfield Tribute Fund (picturedabove with ward staff). Over the years, both Rosemary and Alan have giveninvaluable support to our oncology department but came together speciallyto buy the magic carpet. If their names seem familiar, it is because the list ofpatient benefits they have previously funded is impressive - additionalcomforts in the Chemotherapy Unit, artwork in Elizabeth Loury ward andthe Brachytherapy Suite, a number of sky ceilings, a specialist theatre couchand the tranquil Garden of Reflection outside our Chemotherapy Unit.


all the folk who have been out and about over the past few months raising money for the youngest in our hospital.

Thin blue line infitness challenge

The next generation of Essex Policeofficers proved they were morethan up to the job when theycarried out a 24-hour run-row-ridefitness challenge in aid of ourSpecial Care Baby Unit, covering theequivalent distance of Chelmsfordto Belgium and back and raising£1,814 to date.

The team of 18 student officerschose SCBU after seeing first-handthe work it does in saving tiny livesand supporting frightened parents.

PC Danny Bell, one of the students,experienced the care himself sixyears ago when his daughter wasborn three months early. “The carethey gave her and the support wereceived was massive. They saved my daughter’s life, so we want togive back.”

Costa Coffee store managers fromthe Southend Victoria Station,Southend High Street, The Royalsand Basildon Pipp’s Hill branches,paid us a wonderful visit to presentthe Neptune Ward Play Team with ahuge selection of sensory toys,tactile wall and floor tiles anddistraction aids, for the childrenaccessing play therapy on the ward.

Costa Coffee branches nationwideare each given a £250 communitybudget every year and can select alocal cause to benefit from it. Thisyear the four branches have clubbedtogether and used their £1000 topurchase these fantastic items for

our Neptune Ward.

Pipps Hill Store Manager,Charlotte Quill, said: “Wewanted our donation tomake a real difference thisyear and combining ourcommunity budgets meantthat we could donate allof these fantastic items,which we hope the localchildren and families willbe able to enjoy.”

Costa Coffee StoreManagers Jonas Pereira,Georgia Shippam, Joanna Valencaand Charlotte Quill are shown here

presenting their donation to theNeptune Team. Thank you so much!

Costas club together

ThankBringing a bitof magic to poorlyyoungsters

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Team Tropicana, comprising Tropicana Nights bossGraham Moorcroft and five members of hisintrepid staff, who took to choppy waters off theseafront in the bright yellow ‘Daft Duck’. The eye-catching raft was fashioned out of six massivebarrels. With no prior training for the popularThorpe Bay Rotary raft race, the crew did a fine jobin less-than-ideal conditions.

“It was really windy and the tide wasagainst us so, like a lot of others, wedidn’t actually finish,” says Graham.“But we survived with the raft stillintact and no man overboard!”

The team raised £110 for hospitalfunds and are already planning fornext year’s race.

Local familyfinancial servicesbusinessNewLeaf whichhas enabled usto order a newsound booth forour AudiologyDepartment,thanks to thewonderful £10kdonation.

Cardiac support group Take HeartSouthend for their welcomedonations of an electric wheelchairand ultrasound machine to ourcardiac and medical day stay ward.The easy-to-manoeuvre wheelchairis invaluable for whisking patientsaround the hospital for X-Rays andother tests.

Thank

All the wonderfulpeople who tookpart in this year’sColorthon to raise£2,400 for SouthendHospital in July.

Ward staff are equally thrilled withthe specialist portable FUJIFILMSonosite NanoMaxx ultrasoundmachine which provides high-qualitydiagnostic pictures.

Take Heart Vice Chair Paul Halley,(pictured behind wheelchair withAnthony Morris from FUJIFILMSonoSite and members of theCardiac and Medical Day Stay team)paid tribute to the many localorganisations who helped fundraiseto buy the equipment and expressedgratitude to families whonominated Take Heart to receivedonations at the funerals of theirloved ones.

Paul commented: “It is only withthe continued generosity of theselocal people that we are able tokeep supporting the CardiacDepartment.”

So many thanks to Jill Barraclough,Lady Captain at Reigate Heath GolfClub 2016-2017, who has raised£1500 for Bedwell Ward (formerlyKitty Hubbard), in memory of hertwin brother Andrew ‘Mel’ Kenny.Mel had advanced prostate cancerand died in January 2017. Jill said:“The care and attention that Melreceived was truly wonderful and Iwanted to give something back.”She is pictured here presenting herdonation to Ward Manager AndreaTurner.

Thanks to the staff and customers ofLondis on Southchurch Road (left) for theirkind donation of £1,200 in support of theChemotherapy Unit. The store was able toraise the money by collecting 5p for theirplastic bags.

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Thank

The Kirste 5 Memorial Race, whichcelebrated its fifth successful eventthis summer. Once again its racecommittee was able to present ourBreast Unit with a cheque for £3,000along with a further £3,000 for thecancer charity Macmillan.

This brings the total raised to awhopping £38,000 over the past five years.

The Kirste 5 Memorial Race is a five-mile race heading through HockleyWoods, returning through CherryOrchard Jubilee Park, New EnglandWood, and Grove Wood.

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It is held each summer in memory ofdedicated runner and charity fund-raiser Kirste Bowman, who fought along battle with breast cancer butsadly died in February 2012.

Kirste raised over £50k for breastcancer charities by running 23marathons while fighting thedisease.

Oncology patient Natasha Fountainand her Dad Steve for taking on aTough Mudder and raising over£1,450 for Oncology andHaematology. Natasha took on themuddy challenge as a way sayingthank you for the care she hasreceived - but now it’s our turn tosay thank you!

Huge thanks to SallyHolman and Faye Rousefrom Community MattersWaitrose Southend, forpresenting some of ourPaediatric Outpatientsstaff with a cheque for£303. The money wasraised from the greentoken scheme and will beused to improve thefacilities in the PaediatricOutpatients Department.

Nita Burrow, centre left, who,despite undergoing chemotherapytreatment, set herself the challengeto do a one-mile sponsored walk.Over 20 of Nita’s friends and familyjoined in, meaning £1,400 wasraised for the Haematology Unit.Also in the photo are Dr Islam andRachel Tolley.

A big thanks also to . . • Staunch hospital supporterMalachy O’Sullivan for anothersuccessful quiz night which gavea £932 boost to our EndoscopyUnit.

• Southend United FC ShrimpersTrust for donating £400 fromtheir popular race night to theKeyhole Cancer Appeal.

• Nikki Drabble for organisinganother successful Pink SummerBall in aid of the Breast Unit,raising £1,750.

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Merry ding-dong chimes ringing outin Neptune Children’s Ward are acause for celebration - they meanthat young cancer patients havecome to the end of their gruellingtreatment.

The Neptune Bell was the brainwaveof the Peters family from Rayleighwho had seen what a positive effectsuch cheerful devices had in GreatOrmond Street Hospital. Installed bythe End of Treatment Bell Charityrun by Tracey Payton in associationwith the Martia Watt Foundation,the bells are rung by cancer patientsto signify they have finished theirtreatment. Four-year-old Toby Peters(pictured right with mum Heather) iscurrently in the maintenance stageof his three-and-a-half yeartreatment for acute lymphoblasticleukaemia.

Heather said: “These bells providemuch-needed hope for familiesgoing through cancer treatment. Iremember seeing the bell in Londonand feeling a renewed sense ofdetermination that we were goingto make it to the end of Toby’streatment and he was going to getto ring the bell.

“We wanted to give something backto every single member of staff ofNeptune Ward, who always make usfeel so welcome and secure whenwe are with them - and the bellseemed like a fitting contribution.”

Staff are thrilled. Play Specialist LisaKawa-Akenbo, said: “The bell is animportant milestone for families. Itholds real significance for staff as wespend so muchtime with thesewonderful childrenand we lookforward to seeingthem ringing thebell andcelebrating thatoccasion with themand theirrelatives.”

Toby’s turn is dueto come in autumnnext year but thebell got to be rung

for the first time in the summer bynine-year-old Conall Riley (picturedbelow) from Westcliff. After 14rounds of chemotherapy and theremoval of his lower right leg,Conall was declared as being inremission from the rare bone cancerEwings Sarcoma.

Conall’s mum, Cara, said: “This lastyear and a half has been arollercoaster of emotions. It hasbeen one treatment after the nextand you just don’t see an end to it.The ringing of this bell hopefullysignifies that end.”

Fundraising for wards and departments

Fundraising news winter 2017

Ringing out the good news

The Great Hadleigh Bake-Off wasGeorgina’s way of thanking staff onBenfleet Ward for their ‘amazing’care after she suffered a stroke onher 25th birthday.

Georgina, who doesn’t want her fullname used, was in theshower getting readyto go to work as aprimary schoolteacher inShoebury whenshe ‘came over allfunny’ andcollapsed. Althoughshe was stillconscious, Georginalost feeling down the right side ofher body, couldn’t speak properlyand was dribbling. Thinking she hadjust fainted, she went back to bed.But, after consulting her GP, shecame along to hospital, wasadmitted and following tests, wasdiagnosed with stroke.

Happily Georgina - a fit and healthynon-smoker who does not drink -recovered speedily and was allowedhome five days later. It later turnedout she had hole in her heart whichwas a possible cause of the strokeand underwent keyhole surgery tomend it.

She said: “Having the stroke wasscary but it taught me - and so manyother people - that stroke can affectanyone at any age.

“After I left hospital the communitystroke team came out a couple oftimes to help me regain movementin my right side and now I havemade a full recovery and am back atwork full time.”

As a way of showing her appreciationfor her care in hospital, Georginaorganised the cake sale at her home- when her Mum, gran and friendsbaked for Benfleet and came upwith the goods. So much supportraised £410 for the ward - that’s alot of cakes!

She said: “The stroke team were sosupportive, not just to me but to mywhole family.”

Fundraising is a pieceof cake for Georgina


Nostalgic memories of the ‘good ol’days’ come flooding back as patientsstep into the new day rooms onWindsor and Princess Anne wards.Apart for the giant images of TheKursaal in its heyday, there are also aretro TV cabinet and Bakelitetelephone as well as an old-stylecooker, triggering all sorts ofmemories from years ago.

The day rooms, used by our patientswith dementia, have beentransformed into veritable timewarps thanks to a dedicated bunchof fundraisers including our loyalsupporters at the Roslin Beach Hotel.Managing Director, Jacqui Dallimore,said: “We all know a relativeor friendimpacted bydementia whichwas why wewanted to getinvolved. Theserooms aretestament to thepassion and hardwork which havebeen put into this project. It’s notabout a room though - it’s about thepatients and relatives who will getthe very real benefits of using itsfantastic facilities.”

These include a portable sensorysuite, a projector to show old-style

while they are in our care.”

The grand opening was theculmination of our Dementia Appeal,launched in April 2016, which raisednearly £100,000 for this importantarea of hospital care. Also at thelaunch were Maureen Townley andLinda Ansell, who run a hugely-successful pop-up stall in the hospitaland Dean Ovel, who memorablyspent 24 hours running in an 8ftgiant hamster wheel to raise moneyfor the Appeal.

Dementia Appeal

Stepping back in time

Thanks to your continued support we have

been able to purchase the following from

the Dementia Appeal Fund in recent

months:

• Two large flat Screen TVs with DVD players

for Princess Anne and Windsor ward

• Recliner chairs and high-backe

d chairs for

Windsor day room

• A sky ceiling

• Refurbishment of Windsor relatives’ room

including new coffee machine

• Specialist emergency lifting chair

• Pressure cushion falls alarm sensors

• Dementia friendly signage

• Games and reminiscence therapy tools

screenings and rummageboxes full of prompts forold foodstuff brands,musicals and much more.

Kylie Locke, Matron for Medicine,said: “These amazing newtherapeutic and interactive dayrooms give a real sanctuary to theestimated one in four of our patientswho have some form of dementia.Our aim is to ensure these vulnerablepatients are as comfortable andstress-free as they can possibly be

• Some of our marvellous dementia befriender volunteers

• From l to r fundraisers Lucy Lock, Jacqui Dallimore and Kylie Locke.

Thank you to:

9Fundraising news winter 2017

Nicola Hook wasn’t goingto let a small thing like a154ft sheer drop deter herfrom stepping from thetop of our tower block.Nor were the 58 otherthrill-seeking participantsin this year’s Tackle theTower challenge.

Steely-nerved Nicolastepped out into the greatunknown for ourdementia services, as herbeloved nan has thecondition. We are hugelygrateful to her and allthe other participants fortheir ‘bottle’ and to PACEPlc Property Sales whosponsored the popularannual event.

• A massive thank you toeveryone who took partand raised more than£21,000 for 36 differentareas of the hospital.

The only way is down

Pictured above are marvellousMaureen and Linda, whohave raised more than£15,000 for the dementiaappeal through their bric-a-brac sales.

Staff and volunteers whohelped make the openingof the day room onPrincess Anne Ward sucha special occasion arepictured below.

A massive thanks to theRendezvous Casino for providing theentertainment and catering.

A big thank you to Barry Coombes for selecting theDementia Appeal as his charity of choice for his year asPresident of The City of London Red Cross MasonicLodge. An amazing £2,548 was raised from membersthroughout the year. Photographed here is Barry andSue Coombes handing over the money raised.

• Thorpe Bay Rotary Club who held a quiz in June toraise £237 for our Dementia Appeal.

• Leigh-on-Sea Rotary Club, who raised £4,326.57 atthis year’s Great Pier Walk. Well done to everyone whotook part.

* And therewas even asinger onhand tomake theparty gowith aswing



Each of our valiant trio waspedalling for a different area of thehospital: Stephen for the DementiaAppeal, Kevin for the Stroke Unitand Thomas for SCBU.

Kevin (pictured right), fromRayleigh, is a customer serviceassistant at the company’s EastwoodRoad convenience store, whichadopted the stroke unit as its charityof the year. Despite his bike usuallyjust languishing in his garage, Kevincompleted the ride in just undernine hours, boosting the £3k+ whichthe store has already raised for thehospital.

Keeeeep pedalling . . .. . . And they did - for 100 miles. Kevin Perryer, Thomas Gamby and StephenWicks all deserve a yellow jersey after successfully completing thechallenging Prudential RideLondon 100. From the QE Olympic Park the 100-mile route snakes out into the Surrey countryside to finish back in front ofBuckingham Palace.

For Stephen (pictured above), afather of two boys from Leigh-on-Sea, the event was his first 100-milerbut, apart from the notorious LeithHill in Surrey, which tested hisstamina to the limit (‘I neverthought it would end’), he managedthe distance with ease, raising £650for our Dementia Appeal.

He was helped on his way by the‘fantastic’ crowd support and evenstopped off in Epsom for a quickcatch-up with his Mum who livesthat way.

Thomas (pictured right) is somethingof a Ride100 veteran - this was the

fourth time he had put set himselfthe challenge, raising another£1,405 for the Special Care BabyUnit which, he says, provided‘amazing care’ to his son Theodore.

“Knowing I was raising money forthe unit to provide first-class care topoorly babies put a smile on my facethroughout the ride. Theodore isgrowing up to be a healthy little boyand I want to make sure I cancontribute in some way to thedepartment’s future.”

‘Just do it’

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For most of us, the thought of jumpingout of a light aircraft with a strangerstrapped to our back it the stuff ofnightmares, so hats off to all thoseintrepid adrenaline junkies who facedtheir fears to raise thousands of poundsfor various areas of Southend Hospital.

Our skydivers raised the followingamounts:

• Sheila Fenner (pic 1) - £221 for SpecialCare Baby Unit

• Alfie Wall - £528 for Urology

• Pietro Masoero - £128 for the EyeUnit

• Steve Pond - £434 for Windsor Ward

• Abigail Fry (pic 2) - £374 for themidwife-led Birthing Unit

• Kelly Robinson (pic 3) - £1,670 for theChemotherapy Unit

• David Dommett (pic 4) - £182 forCancer Services

Meanwhile, you really are never tooold to take the plunge intonothingness. Staff nurse Val Adamsfinally told herself ‘just do it’ afteryears spent contemplating a sky dive.

So it was that Val, 64, who has workedin Critical Care for 14 years, foundherself stepping out of a plane above aPeterborough airfield earlier this year.“I loved every minute of the experienceand would definitely do it again. It wastruly wonderful.”

And, on top of achieving that long-heldambition, she raised £400 for CriticalCare.

Jonty the whippet brought abeaming smile to Mary Payne’sface after bagging the trophy fortop dog in Paws in the Park tail-wagging dog show.

There were also prizes in categoriesincluding best rescue dog, cutestpuppy, best disabled dog, awesome old timer and, of course, dog most likeits owner.

Thanks for Malachy O’Sullivan for once again organising this fun event andto the volunteers who helped make it a success. Together they raised£526.20 for our For Wards Appeal.


Jaunty Jonty is jubilant at show

Our thanks to theorganisers of RadSunday 9 forsupporting the NeptuneWard at their annualcar show. A fantastic£420 was raised and agreat selection ofvintage cars enjoyedthe Golden Mile cruise.

• Our continued thanks to theAmbleside and Windermere SocialClubs which have raised over£18,500 over the past decade. Theclubs take it in turns to host aCharity Golf Day each year and weare so grateful for their continuedsupport and incredible contributionin aid of our Neonatal Unit.

Thank you to RogerStevenson and JedBrookes fromHadleigh RotaryClub, whichdonated £2,000 topurchase twoelectric cots for theNeptune Ward.Hadleigh Rotary areregular supportersof the ward and weare very gratefulfor their ongoingsupport andgenerosity.

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• Thank you to the Victoria LadiesBowling Club, based in Priory Park,for their kind donation of £560. The money has been collectedduring Paula Kimber’s captaincy in2017 and will go towards thepurchase of another much neededspecialist incubator for the SpecialCare Baby Unit.

need for a new bloodpressure machine.

The busy Pre-assessmentDepartment assessesas many as 35 patientsevery day for theirsurgical and medicalhistory, weight,height, body massindex (BMI), blood pressure, pulseand oxygen saturation levels andother tests. Until the Lions steppedin, they only had access to twoblood pressure machines betweeneight staff members which led tofrequent delays and additional stressfor patients. Demands on thedepartment’s over-stretched budgetmeant it could not afford additionalblood pressure monitors althoughthe team is doing its own fund-raising to improve the care provided.


A vital piece of kit which helpsensure patients are fit for theiroperation has been presented tothe hospital by the EastwoodLions Club.

Staff in the Pre-assessmentDepartment were thrilled to receivethe £1300 Mindray blood pressuremachine - an essential item ofequipment used repeatedly everyday to ensure patients are safe forsurgery.

The Lions raised the money duringEric Hoile’s year as president and hewas at the hospital to present themonitor along with currentpresident Brian Stanbridge andfellow club members.

The club explained that they like tosupport the local community andwere eager to help the hospitalwhen they heard about the unit’s

Lions’ pride in latesthospital donation


Jane Reeve, General Manager forTheatres and Critical Care, said:“This donation has given a greatboost to the team and it was a greatpleasure to welcome Lions Clubmembers so we could express ourgratitude in person.

”The new machine has led to areduction in patient waiting timeand the overall flow through clinicsis noticeably smoother, providing animproved patient experience.”

After a number ofmembers of CanuteLodge and Chapterno 3104 weretreated in ourUrology Department,they generouslydecided to showtheir appreciation bypresenting a £1,270cheque to consultantMr Peter Acher.

Charity Steward,David Botson(pictured front left)said: “A number of our members have been assessed and, if required,treated at the department over a number of years for complaints rangingfrom urinary problems to the more serious conditions like prostate cancer.All investigations and treatments have been conducted in a very friendlyand professional manner.”

The Freemasons held raffles, sponsored activities - including growingmoustaches for a month - as well as plain cash donations to raise themoney. Giving his visitors a tour around the department, Mr Acher toldthem their donation would go towards research and vital equipment tohelp improve the service and facilities for patients.

• Pictured with Mr Botson are (l to r) Desmond Quill, Peter Halls, EricTerry, Mr Acher, Steve Hill and Victor Crowhurst.

Canute’s cash comes flooding in In memory of JoyceShe may be gone, but she willnever be forgotten. The lateJoyce Long, MBE, was honouredfor all her fundraising work at aspecial ceremony in Thundersley,her home for most of her adult life.

Castle Point Mayor, Brian Wood,unveiled this plaque on abuilding next to ThundersleyPrimary School. Joyce, who diedin December 2015 aged 87,raised more than £1 million forSouthend Hospital, plushundreds of thousands forHammersmith Hospital, whereher late husband Percy receivedtreatment.

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Walk for Wards

A week of bucket collections andother fundraising activities,culminated in the popular annualWalk for Wards along Southendseafront on Sunday 17 September.

Fundraising news winter 2017

SOUTHEND’S newly elected Mayor, pictured here atthe start of our Walk for Wards, has pledged hersupport to two causes close to her heart.

Fay Evans is a breast cancer survivor. Her personalexperiences have inspired her to fight to improvefacilities - especially for breast cancer and prostatecancer patients - at Southend Hospital during her term.

As well as funding a specialist piece of prostatebrachytherapy equipment, she hopes to brighten upthe breast unit with sky ceiling artwork to bring much-needed joy to patients.

Mrs Evans was officially sworn in as mayor in May.Explaining her passion for helping those living with thedeadly disease, she said: “Far too many families areaffected by cancer.

Mor than 250leisurely strollers,brisk walkers andserious striders tookpart in the 7km walk

which setoff fromUncle Tom’sCabin onShoeburyCommon andfinished atChalkwell shelter.

Many - such as theJennings family(pictured left) werewalking in memoryof loved ones -patriarch Mac, amuch-lovedhospital volunteerat the hospital’soutpatientsdepartment, died

What a wonderful walk for wards!

New Mayor pledges support

“If I could wave a magic wand as mayor then I would,but I will certainly do what I can through the charityfund to support those living through prostate or breast cancer.”

earlier this year after a long illness.

Event Manager Elise Fleetwood said: “We are delighted by therecord-breaking turnout this yearand very grateful to the Mayor CllrFay Evans for starting the event.Last year we raised nearly £15,000for different wards anddepartments, and I’m sure we willbeat that total this year. Thank youto everyone who took part and ourvolunteer marshals for helping tomake the event a safe one.”

Meet Rita Willson, volunteerpar excellence, whose energyand enthusiasm belie her 80years. This year alone she hashelped out with our abseil,Malachy’s Mile of Coins, acorporate fun day and theKirste 5 Memorial Race. Butthe year has still some weeksto go and she would still liketo do more.

Inspirational Rita hasvolunteering in her blood - she

was a Games Maker at the 2012 London Olympics andan Essex Ambassador, meeting and greeting overseasvisitors at Southend Airport, helping with the Hadleighmountain biking event and the Olympic flame’s journey.

She first got involved with the hospital when a Rotarianfriend roped her into helping with the Foulness bike ride.

A widow for 20 years, Rita, from Hullbridge, said: “Ihave made lots of friends through volunteering. I feelvery much I am a people person and enjoy talking tothem about future hospital projects. Although I amalone, I am not lonely.

“I would like to think my heart is in the right place and Ihad helped people. You have to keep smiling.”

When her husband Jimmy died, she had his gravestoneinscribed: “Always a smile, always a care; Loved by alleverywhere” - and her hope is that people will say thesame about her.

Rita’s queen ofthe collection tin!

Positive thinking - andcurry: howJanis copes withcancer diagnosis Janis Field is not one to let adiagnosis of ovarian andbowel cancer get her down.When she was given the newsfive years ago, she faced itwith the same positive attitudewhich has always steered herthrough the slings and arrowsof life.

She has had surgery, two boutsof chemotherapy and faces afurther operation to remove aswollen lymph gland. She has always been extremelyactive and says she does not have time to think aboutwhether or not she has cancer. Janis has always been afundraiser and, since her cancer diagnosis, she hasthrown herself into fundraising for our chemotherapyunit to help other patients who find themselves in asimilar situation.

Janis, 70, a retired headmaster’s personal assistant fromLeigh, said: “I am a very positive person - alwayslaughing and never thinking negatively.”

She shrugged off having to wear a cold cap for hertreatment, just pulling on her wig afterwards andswanning off for a curry with husband Reg. Her attitudewas so infectious that staff in the unit asked her to chatand support other patients.

It was then that Janis found howdifficult it was to locate somepatients’ veins for the chemo sessionto go ahead and they sometimescould not have their treatment.

“It was awful. I felt so sorry for them.”

Janis has been fundraising to helpbuy a vein finder for the unit andhas so far raised £800 for us throughopening up her garden in Leigh Hilland organising popular coffeemornings and lunches.

Friends and neighbours have beenhugely supportive and she is alreadycollecting raffle prizes and donationsfor her next event later in the year.


Here we meet three women whoturned personal adversity into achance to raise money for the hospital

Supporter . . . .

Looking good, ladies!The ever-glamorous and dedicated fundraiserRosemary Slade has organised yet anothersuccessful Black and Pearls Evening, held at theBoatyard Restaurant in Leigh.

An amazing £3,000 was raised for the UnitedAgainst Cancer fund to benefit cancer patientshere at Southend Hospital. Photographed here isRosemary with her daughter Charlotte who helpedgive out the fab raffle prizes donated from localbusinesses.

Our thanks also go to the 200 ladies attendingwho danced the night away and looked stunningin their black outfits . . . with matching pearls ofcourse!


Supporting Southend Hospital Registered Charity Number 1057266

make a donation . . .Without imposing any trust it is my wish to give

Gift Aid

to the following:

Title: _____ First name: ______________________________ Surname: ____________________________________________________

Home address: ________________________________________________________________________________ Postcode: ___________

Email address: ________________________________________________________________ Tel no: ______________________________

If you are a UK taxpayer, under the Government’s Gift Aid scheme Southend Hospital Charity can reclaimthe tax you have already paid on your donation. This means that we can claim back 25p for every £1 thatyou donate - at no extra cost to you.

I would like Southend Hospital Charity to claim gift aid on my above donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in the past 4 years. I am a UK tax payer and understand that, if I pay less Tax and/or capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations, it is my responsibility to pay anydifference.(Please tick the box).*It doesn’t matter what rate of tax you pay as long as you pay an amount of income or capital gains tax equal to the tax we reclaim on your donations in thatfinancial year. Please remember to inform us of any changes in your tax status.

Signature: Date:

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£

We will only use your personal details for administrative purposes and to further our charitable aims. We will not pass your details toany other organisation. Please tick this box if you do not wish to receive further information from Southend Hospital Charity.

Please return this donation form to: The Department of Fundraising, The Lodge, Southend University Hospital,Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 0RY

Dementia Appeal Fund For Wards Appeal Fund

Donation details

Your details

I would like to make a regular donation and request a standing order form

I enclose a cheque/postal order/CAF voucher (please make cheques payable to Southend Hospital Charity)

Please charge my credit card/debit card/Switch/Maestro:

Card no: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Issue no: _ _ Security no: _ _ _ Start date: _ _ /_ _ Expiry date: _ _ / _ _

A gift for the ward (for reminiscence therapy)

Colouring pens / pencilsColouring books for adultsDVDs of popular TV series

Ambient DVDs (no fire)Age appropriate CDs

Large plastic dominoesLarge jigsaw puzzles

Song booksJumbo playing cards

Plastic toy dollBalls for playing catch

Make a donation towardsone of our Wards or

Departments

A little Festive Spirit goes a long way at Christmas

A gift for a patientToiletries

Chocolates Biscuits Flannels

Socks Handkerchiefs

Slippers

This is a gift for a patient to keep / to be used on the ward(Please delete as appropriate)

This gift is from:

Address:THERE IS NO NEED TO WRAP YOUR GIFTPlease do not wrap your gift, but a gift bag with your items loose inside would be muchappreciated.

Please deliver your gift to:

The Department of Fundraising, The Lodge,Southend Hospital, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 0RY.

Between 9am - 5pmBy Friday 15 December 2017

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Please give a gift in support of our elderly patients

!


What’s on . . . What’s on . . .What’s on . . . What’s on . . . What’s on . . .What’s on . . .

For details of any of our events please call 01702 385337 or email [email protected]

Website: www.southendhospitalcharity.co.uk

2017/18Dates for your diaries

Dec 18 Festive Afternoon Tea

Beneficiary: Mayor’s Appeal supporting prostate andbreast cancer patients2.00pm, Gleneagles Hotel, Southend£18pp, to book please email: [email protected] telephone: 07538 306226

Inflatable 5K

Beneficiary: For Wards AppealChelmsford City Racecourse£30 entry plus min sponsorship of £50

Feb 23 Quiz Night

Beneficiary: For Wards AppealFriday 23 February. 7.30pm for 8pm start. FreightHouse, Rochford. Teams of 8, £6pp

March 25 Tandem Skydive

10,000 free fall parachute jump (Also Sept 30)Beneficiary: Ward/Department/Appeal of choiceSibson Airfield, Peterborough, min sponsorship £395

Dec 8 Grand Multi-media Quiz

Beneficiary: For Wards Appeal6.45pm, Saxon Hall, Southend. £11 pp, teams of 8-10,includes chicken & chips supper

March 21 Memory Lane Afternoon Tea

Beneficiary: Dementia AppealWednesday 21 March, 3pm - 5pm, at The Roslin Beach Hotel. £19.50 pp, table sizes can vary

May 19 Tackle the Tower Abseil

Beneficiary: Ward/Department/Appeal of choiceSouthend Hospital tower block, £40 entry fee, min sponsorship £100

June 16 & 17

July 1 Great Pier Walk

Hosted by the Rotary Club of Leigh-on-SeaBeneficiary: For Wards Appeal10am - 4pm, The Pier, Southend-on-SeaPRE REGISTRATION VITAL - call the team on 01702 385337 to sign up

May 6

For the 11th year running we are delighted to enclose tickets for our Grand Prize Draw which isbeing held on 19 December.

If you would like to receive more raffle ticket books, please call the fundraising team on 01702 385337.

First prize is £1,000 CASH!!!

• Second prize: Afternoon Tea for Two at Holiday Inn, Southend Airport

• Third prize: Luxury Hamper • Fourth prize: Family ticket for Sea Life Adventure • Fifth prize: £25 M&S voucher

Christmas Grand Prize Draw 2017

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