ITV newsreader Nicholas Owen presented certificates to over 200 fundraisers at an Awards Ceremony held to recognise their efforts in helping the Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign reach its £30 million fundraising target.
Held at the Queen’s Stand, Epsom Racecourse on 12 April, the event saw fundraisers praised for their amazing achievements which have included parachute jumps, trekking the Sahara desert and diving with sharks to raise money for the specialist cancer hospital.
Their fundraising has helped to provide key resources to help the Royal Marsden treat more people, more quickly and more effectively.
These resources have included a new PET/CT scanner, a Drug Development Centre, five new operating theatres, a Critical Care Unit and a new Rapid Diagnostic Centre.
Nicholas Owen said: “I am an enormous admirer of what the Royal Marsden does. These fundraisers have done amazing things and I’m delighted to be supporting them.”
Comedian Jimmy Tarbuck, who drew the raffle and presented the prizes, said: “It hurts when anyone in your family gets cancer. I will always salute the Royal Marsden because of the great deeds it has done.”
Amanda Heaton, Fundraising and Community Development Manager, said: “We wanted to thank people whether they have climbed a mountain or held a coffee morning as everyone’s efforts are important to us.
“So many people have worked so hard to raise funds for the Royal Marsden. It’s not easy to organise an event and it can be tough to get sponsorship and collect up all the money that has been promised.”
Fundraisers from Surrey and across the country were thanked in groups which included trekkers, cyclists, parachutists as well as party holders and those who organised special events which have included bingo nights, sponsored diets, a martial arts day and a Twix-a-thon!
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to thank everyone for their support, but just because we have reached £30 million we aren’t stopping our work,” Amanda Heaton added. “We still need everyone’s help to keep fundraising for the Royal Marsden.
“The hospital has an ambitious vision for the future and we need everyone’s support to make that happen.”
Notes to editors
- The Royal Marsden Hospital is Europe’s largest cancer centre. More than 40,000 people are seen at its sites in Chelsea and Sutton each year
- Photos are available upon request
- Nicholas Owen, who had one his kidneys removed after a cancerous tumour was diagnosed in 2002, was one of the first celebrities to lend support to the Cancer Campaign's £30m appeal
- He began his career on the Surrey Mirror in 1964 before moving to Fleet Street in 1968 and later switching to television reporting
- He lives with his wife in Surrey, has four children and two grandchildren
- Jimmy Tarbuck lives in Surrey and is a big supporter of the Royal Marsden Hospital's Cancer Campaign.
Contact
Melanie Loy, The Royal Marsden Hospital Press Office, 020 7808 2383.