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The workings of Providence
When Enfys, who works for the National Patient Safety Agency, visited UCL Hospital’s open day last December, she never imagined she would end up winning a brand new bicycle for her husband. In fact, were it not for the encouragement of her boss, she wouldn’t even have had a go at the quiz.
“She kept telling me that I had to be in it to win it” says Enfys, “and I buckled under the pressure and had a go, even though I don’t usually win anything.”
Both Enfys and her husband are keen cyclists, who enjoy getting away to Wales and cycling on the coastal path there. Although she herself doesn’t cycle to work – she’s on a 6-month secondment from her NHS Trust in Wales – her other half, Noel, does ride to his work as a lecturer at King’s College, and he was gutted to find, just a few weeks before Christmas, that his bike had been stolen.
So when Enfys got the email telling her she had won, she was stunned. It wasn’t just the winning – the timing could not have been better. “I couldn’t stop grinning” she said. The new bike, which was kindly donated by Cycle Solutions Limited, will mean Noel can get mobile again – which he’s keen to do, despite the cold and wet weather.
Although this story has a happy ending, it highlights the problem of the shortage of secure cycle parking. UCLH NHS Trust has signed up to the Employer’s Cycle to Work Guarantee Scheme, launched last October at the Euston Road site, under which employers undertake to provide proper facilities – secure storage, lockers, changing rooms and showers, for example – to encourage staff to cycle.
UCLH Charity, which runs the Trust’s Cycle to Work Scheme in partnership with Cycle Solutions Ltd, is working with the NHS Trust to improve our facilities.
Further information:
Cycle to Work Scheme - http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/cycletoworkguidance/
Employer’s Cycle to Work Guarantee - http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/cycletowork/
Cycle Solutions/Wheelies Direct - http://www.wheelies.co.uk/
A heart felt thanks from Margaret
Heart patient Margaret Collis hoped for the best but feared the worst when she underwent pioneering surgery to mend the hole-in-her-heart. She was one of the first patients ever to survive the nine hour operation: her ribcage was partially removed and she required 271 stitches.
"But here I am 50 years later! I lived to tell the tale and I owe my life to the wonderful doctors and nurses," she said.
Margaret who now lives in Coventry marked the 50th anniversary of the life-saving operation by making a special donation to The Heart Hospital, part of University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She sent a cheque for £50, £1 for each year.
"It was a pretty gruesome operation. I was only 18 years old and frightened because the operation had never been done before."
The operation which took place at the former Middlesex Hospital, part of the UCLH Trust, gave Margaret a new lease of life. Prior to that she had suffered breathlessness and skipped heart beats.
"I was back at work within 6 months and went on to have two sons. I go swimming every day and love hill walking and I still feel well. I wanted to mark the 50th anniversary in some way. I felt part of history!"
When Margaret discovered the Middlesex Hospital no longer existed, she contacted UCLH Charity who promised to ensure the money would be put to good use. Cardiac patients are now treated at the Trust’s Heart Hospital which is a nationally-recognised specialist centre.
With the cheque was a note. It read: "I am now 68 years old, so thank you. Please find enclosed a donation..."
The lengths some people will go to support us!
Keen cyclists and friends Bruce Milroy, Gwyn Williams and Vin Kennedy cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats in July to raise funds for The Cancer Thermal Ablation Fund (http://www.rfablation.co.uk/). They cycled the 932 miles in memory of their close friend, Olympic swimmer Paul Marshall, who sadly passed away in May after a two-year battle with cancer.
This is their story:
DAY 1: Land’s End to Truro - 45 miles
We left Land’s End at 5pm and did 44 miles in 2 hours 40 minutes. A good run with good weather. We got a great send off from Gwyn’s family!
DAY 2: Truro to Cullompton (North of Exeter) - 89 miles
A30 out of Cornwall very hilly and dual carriageway most of way. Climbed 45 monster hills with lorries thundering past. Not nice at all. Went through Crediton, meeting the lovely Guy Butcher who showed us how to get to Cullompton without another big hill – fabulous advice! Weather has been good, no rain. Arrived at a lovely B&B a bit wobbly and tired, but glad to have the A30 behind us.
DAY 3: Cullompton to Chepstow (Vin’s House) - 80 miles
The morning was good (although Bruce fell off twice and got a few grazes). The afternoon was harder, especially the 9-mile climb to Bristol Airport - but we’ve found strong coffee and jelly babies help us through the afternoons! Support driver Paul is handing out leaflets and being given donations by random people – it’s amazing how generous people are. Overnight at Vin’s tonight, so well taken care of by his wife Lou. With over 200 miles gone, had a real head in hands moment – what have we done? Not sure I will finish the way I feel tonight.
DAY 4: Chepstow to Stafford - 109 miles
Vin’s friends Adrian and Mike joined us today. We left Vin’s house in pouring rain, but it only lasted half an hour. Stopped in Chepstow for a photo beside the “Go LEJOG!” banner that Lou had put on a roundabout in town – nice touch! Having new faces along for the ride helped keep us going – and they also made substantial financial contributions to the fund. A pub landlord in Worcester invited us to collect donations from his customers...raised about £25! People’s generosity is unbelievable. Got to Stafford tired, but feeling like we might be able to do this after all. Paul left us tonight and Bruce’s brother Derek joined as support driver.
DAY 5: Stafford to Lancaster - 105 miles
Started the day feeling good, although we are beginning to suffer problems like permanently numb feet, aching knees and bottom trouble (you really don’t want to know...). Mike and Adrian left and we
had our toughest day so far. Morning ride was reasonably flat but afternoon was a constant climb with blustery head winds. Stopped in Preston where we were invited into the nearby working men’s club and had a whip round raising over £50! Really sweet, genuine people wanting to help.
DAY 6: Lancaster to Dumfries - 109 miles
Lancaster to Kendal was easy, but we got on the Kendal by-pass by mistake adding an extra five miles to our day. Stopped in Kendal to get Gwyn’s gearing adjusted at Evans Cycles (thanks guys!). The afternoon was really hard. We finally made it to the B&B after eight hours cycling. Random act of kindness today... employee at BP Garage in Penrith gave us 12 bottles of Lucozade Sport. It restores your faith in mankind, there are lots of lovely people out there. Getting loads of texts and messages from people that really help to keep us upbeat.
DAY 7: Dumfries to Inverkip - 95 miles
Were interviewed by the Dumfries Gazette, who took a bit of video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VnfszO2G2k). It rained most of the day, and the terrain was hilly, but it was sunny as we cycled along past Largs and up the Ayrshire coast. The scenery was stunning – a perfect end to a pretty gruelling day. Gwyn had a major mechanical problem but he managed to find Alan at Aero Cycles in Greenock who stayed open late to fix the bike - a true gentleman! We’ve done about 600 miles now and we all hurt. Saddle sores, sweat rashes, aching joints, you name it, we’ve got it.
DAY 8: Inverkip to Fort William - 115 miles
Our longest day and not an easy one! Friend Rab Ross joined us and came to our rescue when one of our chains came off and jammed the rear wheel. The day started well with a short ferry trip across the Clyde to Dunoon and the ride along the side of Loch Eck was idyllic. Two men cutting the grass verges stopped to give Dek some money – more random acts of kindness! Several friends met us on the road and finally we reached the last flat 20 miles along Loch Linnhe into Fort William where we stayed at Dek’s house. Dek's wife Liz had the lasagne ready - just the job! (we think that is what they mean – they had Lynne)
DAY 9: Fort William to Tain - 101 miles
The best day by far and Rab was with us for a second day. We met 10 cyclists doing the same ride as us and we got together along the side of Loch Ness, which was excellent fun! But we flagged North of Inverness. The last 20 miles hurt today but we finally made it with only 89 miles to go to John O’Groats.
DAY 10: Tain to John O’Groats - 89 miles
We headed out from Tain for the last leg full of the joys of spring. 89 miles? We laugh in the face of 89 miles! Ah, but we didn't. The Caithness terrain is tough, tough, tough - a truly gruelling and energy sapping experience. By lunch, Gwyn and I were ready to give in, but when we arrived at JoG, we felt elated enough to do a Mark Cavendish sprint over the line. Bruce’s family were waiting with flags and banners – we had champagne, photos, hugs, tears, the lot. Then we put some notes for our friend Paul Marshall into bottles, weighed them down and threw them into the sea towards Orkney.
We travelled 932 miles in nine days, raised almost £16,000 (including Gift Aid) for Paul's chosen charity and met some fabulously generous people along the way, who gave us more than £200 in cash. It was an experience never to be forgotten.
- There are lots of people to thank and the main ones are:
- Derek and Paul - support drivers extraordinaire. We wouldn't have made it without cups of tea, and a sergeant major tendency to get us moving when our break times were up.
- Lou, Jane and Liz - for making us welcome, putting us up and feeding us on our journey.
- Linda – for keeping our “blog” going
- Mike, Adrian and Rab - for joining us for a day or two
- Big Guy, Vic and Paul, Ali, Joanne, Abigail, Bethany and Elia - for coming to see us along our route
- To everyone who sent texts and called - thanks so much for the support.
And finally, thanks to our friend Paul Marshall for looking after the weather, for providing the inspiration for the trip, and for keeping me going during the dark hours.
The final statistics:
- 932 miles
- 63 hours in the saddle
- Average speed 14.83 mph
- Total funds raised £13,150 (plus Gift Aid) – and counting!
The donation page - http://www.justgiving.com/ethosfundraising/
is still open if you would like to contribute to this worthwhile cause.
January 2009 - charity accounts published: highlights include Royal opening and complementary therapy for cancer patients
In 2007/8 we received £11 million in donations, legacies and investment income and spent £9.1 million, with more than three-quarters of this providing direct support for charitable activities. This included purchasing equipment, supporting research and funding staff training and development.
For example:
- We provided nearly £3.2 million for charitable activities from our central funds.
- Our ward and consultant funds raised £4.7 million and spent £4.2 million, including £2.01 million on research,
£545,000 on equipment, £742,000 on clinical and support staff and £597,000 on education and development.
Funding highlights included:
Princess Royal opens world-class neurosurgical facilities
HRH The Princess Royal officially opened the Trust´s Clinical Neuroscience Centre at Queen Square, which will receive £4.5 million over five years from QS Enterprises, the Charity´s trading subsidiary.
The Centre is a partnership between the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and University College London´s Institute of Neurology. It aims to promote outstanding treatment and research into debilitating neurological conditions such as epilepsy, Parkinson´s disease, stroke and brain tumours.
Charity supports quality initiative in maternity care
The Charity also provided £200,000 towards improving working practices in the maternity unit. The project has helped to identify service improvements, such as improving daily workflow, in areas such as elective Caesareans, and encouraging feedback from patients.
These have been put into action in the new £70 million Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Maternity Wing at University College Hospital, which opened recently with Charity funding of £884,000 for a number of cutting-edge projects.
Staff report that the project has resulted in coherent, positive and rapid change. The improvements also provide examples of best practice that can be rolled out across the Trust.
Arts funding includes music and installations
The Charity has continued to support the UCLH Arts project, by providing funding for the Arts Curator´s salary and installations in, and around, the new University College Hospital building and the Trust´s other hospital sites. This support was extended to cover the full costs of the programme, including musical performances, art exhibitions and research costs, until March 2009. We will provide 50 per cent support for the next three financial years and the Curator will work with the Charity to secure a further £60,000 per annum to maintain the programme, which has been shown to reduce patients´ stress and pain and improve their mental health. To support this project, please contact guy.noble@uclh.nhs.uk or donate online at www.justgiving.com/uclharts
Charity provides complementary therapy for cancer patients
Charitable funds now employ ten complementary therapists, who use a range of therapies to help cancer patients relax and feel more comfortable while they are undergoing treatment. Team manager Angie Buxton-King knows first hand how valuable this therapy can be, as her 10-year-old son Sam died of cancer. "The therapy of healing initially supported Sam through chemotherapy, allowing him to be active, vibrant and cheerful despite the gruelling regimes he went through to rid his body of leukaemia" she says. Angie´s charity, the Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust, organises a very popular jamming session each year to raise funds for UCLH and in 2008 Rick Wakeman and Deep Purple topped the bill. Visit www.cancertherapies.org.uk to find out more.
Caudwell Xtreme Everest team present their results
Charity funding enabled the Caudwell Xtreme Everest team to attend the 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists in South Africa to present the findings of their gruelling trek to the highest point on earth.
The study looked at how human systems perform in extreme environments in order to improve understanding of critically ill patients. The findings will help anaesthetists to develop care packages that respond to each patient´s individual needs.
Our clinicians presented new data and described how the project was planned and executed during two major sessions at the event, which attracted more than 6,000 international delegates. To find out more about the project visit www.xtreme-everest.co.uk
Click here to check out our annual accounts
Marathon fund-raising events provide £225,000
for Leukaemia research
When 16-year-old Freddie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, his family, friends and teachers were keen to do anything they could to raise funds for research into the future treatment of the disease.
When 16-year-old Freddie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, his family, friends and teachers were keen to do anything they could to raise funds for research into the future treatment of the disease.
It was the start of three marathon fundraising events that would stop most people in their tracks!
And their incredible efforts have raised a staggering £225,000, much to the delight of Freddie´s consultant Professor Anthony Goldstone and the research team from University College Hospital and the Royal Free Hospital.
"It´s an amazing achievement and we can´t begin to express our gratitude to this incredible group of people who have done so much to support research into this vital area" says Professor Goldstone.
"The lengths they went to raise this money are simply extraordinary and I really do take my hat off to them!"
So how did they do it?
Freddie´s music teacher Tim Morris raised £14,500 by playing every single piece written for the organ by Bach without interruption. The marathon task took 17 hours, while church services continued and friends provided him with food and drink!
Angus McChesney, another of Freddie´s teachers, raised an astonishing £50,000 by swimming the English Channel from Shakespeare Beach in Dover to a sandy beach in north France near Cap Gris Nez.
The former leading oarsman completed the task in 12 hours and 45 minutes and was delighted to undertake the "challenge of a lifetime" for such an important research project.
Freddie and his family and friends also completed a skiing marathon, travelling the full length of all 53 ski lifts in the Meribel Valley in France in just one day.
80 competitors took part in the Coeur Blanc challenge to raise £175,000, with some of the proceeds going to organisations that support disabled skiers.
The marathon attempt started at 8.30am and, with the lifts shutting at 5pm, the race was on to complete the task, which had only been attempted once before. Luckily local ski guides were on hand to help the group.
"That was just a fantastic and exhausting experience" said former US Olympic skier Jack Miller after he completed the marathon. "I was only ever allowed to ski like that for two minutes a day when racing. To be able to do eight hours non stop was just sensational."
And how about Freddie, the teenager who had inspired so many people to raise vital funds? He not only completed the task, but managed to beat other competitors to the finishing post!
The money raised by the group exceeded even their expectations and the extra funds have been used to support a further research project in the same field.
Monopoly board trek raises £2,000 for bowel cancer research
Board game fanatic Lisa Deaner and her 13 year-old daughter Hayley brought the popular Monopoly game come to life when they spent a day visiting each stop on the board to raise funds for UCHL Charities.
Lisa and Hayley left their Hampstead home at 9am, starting their journey at Old Kent Road and finished at Park Lane at 5.30pm. "We were exhausted but elated at the end" says Lisa.
"We walked most of the way, but did use the tubes as well to ensure we could get round all the stops" she says. "We stopped for lunch at The Strand but, apart from that, just kept going."
The couple raised more than £2,000 for a research project into bowel cancer spearheaded by their close friend consultant Richard Cohen. The project aims to find a genetic link to help understand why there is an increased incidence of bowel cancer in the Ashkenazi population. This may also lead to genetic testing for the genes that are involved in bowel cancer in the general and Ashkenazi populations.
"We thought this would be a fun way of helping this worthy cause and we were absolutely delighted with the help and support we received from family and friends" says Lisa.
"Donations ranged from £1 to £300 and we were so pleased with them all. Everyone at my daughter´s school was brilliant and we are really delighted with the final total."
Lisa has held other fundraising events in the past and hopes to host a family film evening to raise more cash.
How legacies have helped transform our work
Dr Mike Shipley, Consultant Rheumatologist and Clinical Director of the Centre for Rheumatology,
talks about how generous legacies have provided valuable funding for training and research.
When I first came to the Rheumatology Unit at the Middlesex Hospital in 1983 we were a small, but nationally recognised, unit with three consultants and several trainees.
We also had a strong track record of training and teaching and an internationally recognised rheumatoid arthritis study, started by Dr Mary Corbett in the 1960s and being undertaken by trainees under her supervision, with occasional internal grants.
In the late 1980s the rheumatology departments at UCH and the Middlesex were brought together in a rebuilt clinical unit at Arthur Stanley House, originally opened in the mid sixties to provide physiotherapy, occupational therapy, rheumatology and immunology.
Two patients treated at the original Middlesex centre decided to leave their entire estates for rheumatology training and research. It was to lead to significant changes in how we ran the department.
Charlotte Cooke left £100,000 for training and to enable our rheumatologists to travel to national and international meetings.
Matilda Poole left £200,000 to enable the department to sponsor research and researchers. This has included work on ankylosing spondylitis and research into how predictors of poor outcome for rheumatoid arthritis can be used to target treatment more effectively.
In the early nineties it became apparent that merging the UCH and Middlesex rheumatology units put us in a perfect position to start an academic rheumatology unit. We were helped by the Matilda Poole legacy, which had grown, with good investment, to around £300,000.
Over the last 15 years her legacy has been used to seed fund academic posts, enabling promising young rheumatologists to establish their research so that they could go on to academic appointments throughout the University.
Professor David Isenberg now heads a team of five Professors, two Senior lecturers and a team of clinical and non-clinical research fellows, researching rheumatoid arthritis and other auto immune rheumatic diseases. And the unit has become one of the premiere rheumatology units in the UK and internationally.
The team has continued to raise funds and over fifteen million pounds have been raised in research grants, donated or left as legacies to help develop the team and its research.
Without the generosity of Matilda Poole, Charlotte Cooke and others, the academic department would not have developed to its present stature and we are grateful to them and to others for their foresight and generosity.
We are also extremely grateful to the Middlesex Hospital Special Trustees, now the University College London Hospital Charitable Trustees, for nurturing our investments and for their advice and support over the years.