Prostate Project raises £520,000 in 4 years
"Beyond our wildest dreams" says chairman and founder Colin Stokes
When we started our charity in June 2000, we set ourselves a target of raising £250,000 in 5 years. At the time of going to press we have raised £520,000 in just over 4 years! That is a fantastic effort and I want to publicly say a huge 'thank you' not just to our very supportive and committed group of Trustees, Patrons and committee members but also to everyone who has given so generously to our very worthwhile cause.
100% of the money you have donated is committed to or spent on essential projects within the Urology Departments of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, St Luke's Cancer Centre and Frimley Park Hospital. A complete list of everything we have donated or funded is shown on page 3 of this newsletter and I think you will agree, it's a list to be proud of.
Importantly, we are a 'golden pound' charity which means we have no paid fund raisers and rely entirely on our own efforts and those of many volunteers. Every pound we receive flows straight to the point of need.
Although we are all delighted at this performance we all know there is much still to be done. Prostate cancer does have a much higher profile than 4 years ago but it still lags behind the other better known cancers both in terms of awareness and funding. Crucially, we must maintain the flow of funds into our charity so that we can continue our fight to save death occurring from prostate cancer.
We are committed to ongoing salary support for specialist nursing staff and many new equipment purchases. We are expanding our awareness programme designed to encourage men to consult their GP at the first sign of symptoms and we are continuing to stress the importance of all men over 50 having their PSA level checked.
What I am really saying is please don't stop donating to us. We need you just as much now as we did 4 years ago. We have exciting plans for 2004 and beyond but we can't complete them without your continued generous help.
So much done, but so much still to do.
Colin Stokes
Chairman
Our achievements from 4 years of fund raising
| Hospital equipment donated to the Royal Surrey County Hospital & Frimley Park Hospital | ||
|---|---|---|
| May 2000 | Ultrasound Scanner | £29,000 |
| May 2000 | Video and Audio equipment with links to MATTU | £15,000 |
| May 2001 | Framed prints for Urology Clinic waiting room | £231 |
| May 2001 | Video recorder and printer | £5,856 |
| May 2001 | Urology Training models | £2,573 |
| May 2001 | Flowtron DVT prophylaxis system | £930 |
| Oct 2001 | Probes for Cryosurgery | £9,000 |
| Nov 2001 | Urology reference books | £455 |
| Dec 2001 | Gas assisted stirrups | £3,220 |
| Jan 2002 | Information booklet | £1,281 |
| Jan 2002 | Desktop computers with 2 monitors | £2,300 |
| Jan 2002 | Compaq laptop and accessories | £1,250 |
| Jan 2002 | Laser printers, inkjet printer & scanner + maintenance | £842 |
| Jun 2002 | Urology reference book | £278 |
| Oct 2002 | Ultrasound scanner | £39,673 |
| Mar 2003 | Ligasure blood sealing unit | £15,000 |
| May 2003 | Theatre camera and video link system | £21,450 |
| Sep 2003 | Cryosurgery system | £43,000 |
| Hospital Staff & Support | ||
| Jul/Sep 2000 | Specialist Urology Nurse (part funding) | £6,000 |
| Dec/Apr 2002 | Radiographer | £8,500 |
| Oct 2002 | Specialist Nurse/Radiographer training fees | £300 |
| Dec 2002 | Nurse Assistant (part funding) | £704 |
| Apr 2003 | Cryosurgery Procedures | £3,000 |
| Apr 2003 | Trainee Radiographer | £8,750 |
| Research Project | ||
| Sep 2003 | Funds allocated for 3 year prostate cancer research project | £250,000 |