Breast cancer services in Peterborough boosted by £16k donation from charity business lunch

Breast care services in Peterborough have received a £16,500 donation from local women in business.

A cheque for the full amount, raised during a Ladies Charity Lunch earlier this year, was presented to Peterborough City Hospital’s breast care unit by representatives from the event this week.

North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust Consultant Stephen Goh collected the donation on behalf of the unit, which will help to fund additional patient services.

The annual lunch was organised by breast cancer survivor and campaigner Carol Collier, and sponsored by Anne Corder Recruitment, Buckles Solicitors, The Holiday Inn Peterborough West, The Phoenix Group and Your Local Magazine

Carol started the event in 2015, after she was treated for breast cancer at Peterborough City Hospital following diagnosis from a routine mammogram in 2014.

Last year, the lunch hit the £100,000 mark – with patients benefiting from a number of services paid for through the fundraising efforts over the years.

This has included a specialised tattoo machine to support patients with improving their body image, refurbishing the clinic rooms, a refurbishment of the mobile breast screening van, and staff development to provide a breast pain clinic in the community at Doddington Hospital in March.

Carol said: “I was so grateful for all the excellent care I received from everyone in the breast care unit, and really wanted to do something to give back.

“I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people who have attended the annual lunch over the years – and to surpass the £100,000 milestone last year was incredible.”

Breast Care Nurse Specialist, Claire Hall added: “We are incredibly grateful to Carol and all the amazing women who attend and support the lunch year after year – which also offers an important platform to help raise awareness of breast cancer.”

"One in seven women are diagnosed the breast cancer during their life time. Research shows that screening – used to find breast cancers at an early stage when they are too small to see or feel - saves on average one life from breast cancer for every 200 women who are screened.”