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Legendary British racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss OBE, is to officially unveil a new unit that will bring chemotherapy treatment closer to the homes of hundreds of cancer patients in the region.
Sir Stirling is a patron of the charity Hope for Tomorrow which has donated the £150,000 needed to build the state-of-the-art unit – the first of its kind in Britain.
Run by the oncology team from the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the unit will begin treating chemotherapy patients in Cirencester and Ross-on-Wye in March this year. It is hoped the unit will eventually travel further afield, bringing the life-saving treatment to patients in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
Until now, these patients have had to travel to the Oncology Centre at Cheltenham General Hospital, a Centre of Excellence for chemotherapy.
Gloucestershire-based Hope for Tomorrow was set up by Christine Mills, of Tetbury, whose husband David lost his fight against cancer in 2002. Determined to honour the memory of her husband, Christine established Hope for Tomorrow to help families cope with the disease.
Sir Stirling, who first met David and Christine through their work in the motor racing industry, said: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of such a unique and exciting project. I hope that this fantastic unit will be the first of many and the names of David and Christine, who I know as Sport and Sportess, will be remembered for it.”
The charity has the backing of a number of high profile supporters including former Chairman of Vodafone, Lord MacLaurin, who is also the Chairman of Hope for Tomorrow.
Mercedes-Benz CharterWay has worked with national cancer charity Hope for Tomorrow on the development of the UK’s first mobile chemotherapy unit. The international commercial vehicle, financial services, contract hire and fleet management arm of DaimlerChrysler provided the charity with the 18 tonne Axor.
Neil Worthington, Mercedes-Benz CharterWay national accounts services manager, said his team was delighted to be able to work on a worthwhile project that would make a difference to hundreds of lives. “The work Christine has achieved to bring this project to fruition is truly inspirational and Mercedes-Benz CharterWay is delighted to play a role,” Worthington said.
The Mercedes-Benz unit has a bespoke body designed and built by Conestoga and WHF Ltd, who build many of the Formula One hospitality units. It will be able to treat five people on board at any one time – up to 20 patients a day. It has been fitted with the latest technology to provide a hygienic, safe and comfortable environment for patients and staff.
Chippenham-based company, Fleet Support Group, is one of the first major sponsors being sought to help Hope for Tomorrow fund the unit.
Dr Sean Elyan, Medical Director at the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Consultant Oncologist, said: “It is our vision that the mobile chemotherapy unit will bring treatment closer to the homes of cancer patients, reducing the burden on them and their families, whilst maintaining the highest standard of care.
“I would like to say a big thank you to Christine and everyone at Hope for Tomorrow for their heroic fundraising efforts and admirable determination to get this project off the ground.”
The NHS-run unit will initially provide chemotherapy treatment weekly at Cirencester Hospital and Ross-on-Wye although it is hoped that this will be extended once other locations have been confirmed.
Christine said: “This is a ground breaking project and our most ambitious to date. Along with Dr Sean Elyan we share the same vision for this unit. I feel I have done the easy part - it is the commitment to this project from the oncology team at the Trust that I think is incredible”. |
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