Brighter Futures celebrates hitting £2.9m target to buy radiotherapy equipment - after three and a half years of fundraising

Brighter Futures, the charity for the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has successfully closed its Radiotherapy Appeal thanks to the continued generosity of the community and a final pledge from the Rotary Clubs of Swindon and the surrounding area.

The clubs not only kicked off the appeal with a donation of £120,000 but they have now closed the appeal with an International Global Grant of £175,000 plus an additional £38,000. This represents one of the biggest grants Rotary has ever pledged in the UK.

Brighter Futures launched its Radiotherapy Appeal in May 2015 and by Christmas 2016 it had reached the £1million mark and again at Christmas the following year the appeal reached the £2million mark. 

Over the past three and a half years thousands of people in Swindon have come together to support the charity - jumping out of planes, cycling across the UK, driving to Cyprus and Mongolia, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, running the Great North and South runs and the London Marathon - with many more holding bingo nights, baking cakes and hosting tea parties.

Catherine Newman, Associate Director of Fundraising at Brighter Futures, said: “We’re so thankful for all the hard work our local community and the Rotary Clubs of Swindon and surrounding area put into raising this money. The sad reality is that cancer affects one in three of the UK population and the number of incidents is predicted to rise by 16% over the next ten years. This money will fund critically important equipment for a new radiotherapy unit that will support the 284 people who receive a cancer diagnosis every month at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

“We hope the success of this appeal shows people how important their continued support is, no matter how big or small. For those who have fundraising events planned later in the year or early next year for the Radiotherapy Appeal will have their donations go towards supporting the wider cancer services at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

“This important additional funding will help us to expand our Breast Centre in the early diagnosis of cancer, fund important clinical trials in detecting the spread of cancer and support our urology department. This early diagnosis work will feed into the new radiotherapy services and create a holistic cancer services for our local communities.”