Tree of Light 2014 Cheque Presentations

The record breaking funds raised by the Tree of Light 2014 are being distributed to the recipients over the next couple of weeks.  Here are some photos of the handovers as they happen.

01.05.15 Orthopaedic Institute £520

The Orthopaedic Institute is a registered charity which funds research and teaching at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Oswestry, Shropshire. 

It supports research into osteoporosis, arthritis and rheumatism, investigating the cause of the disease and provides new and improved methods of treatment. Stem cell and chondrocyte implantation studies unique in the UK were pioneered with Orthopaedic Institute support.  The assessment of walking abnormalities and diseases, the treatment of back pain, spinal injuries, joint replacement and reconstruction are further areas supported by the charity.

“The funding provided has only been possible because of the donations received, for which the Orthopaedic Institute is most grateful.”  

“For every £1 donated 94p goes to support this vital work”

The Orthopaedic Institute would like to thank The Rotary Club of Oswestry, Tree of Light Appeal 2014 for their kind donation of £520 which will allow us to purchase an upright freezer and 2 gas regulators for our research laboratories.  Dr Brian Ashton, Chairman of the Institute and Dr Karina Wright are pictured accepting the cheque from the Rotary Club President Mr David Gordon.  Mr Peter Hill and Mr Mike Jones also kindly attended the presentation on Friday 1st May at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital in Oswestry.
   
Dr Wright of the Spinal Studies Research Dept. commented “gas regulators for our cell incubators are an essential part of our laboratory set-up. All of the projects within Spinal Studies and Rheumatology involve cell culture from a range of sources including cartilage, bone marrow, umbilical cords and intervertebral disc. Each of these tissues has very different conditions which are needed for cells to live in the body. We try to replicate these conditions in the laboratory using different gas mixes to promote cell growth. We can then use these cells to investigate the causes and new treatments for various human conditions including arthritis, back pain and spinal cord injury. “

The laboratory -20°C upright freezer will enable the Rheumatology Research team to investigate the development and mechanisms of inflammatory arthritis.  All of the projects within Rheumatology make use of media supplements, reagents, growth factors and antibodies that require storage at -20°C. As the rheumatology group has recently expanded, there is an increased need for laboratory-based storage space.  The purchase of a large upright freezer will provide sufficient capacity to store vital reagents for the whole group.

25.04.15 Oswestry Stroke Club (Tizer photo - presented at the Health Awareness Day) £350

13.04.15 Charities for the Disabled

Oswestry Rotary Club has a long history of helping local groups with charitable donations from the proceeds of its annual Tree of Light appeal.

This year three of the Tree of Light 2014 recipients were The Cricket Federation for People with Disabilities £750, the Marches branch of Riding for the Disabled £400 and North Shropshire Special Olympics £750.

On Monday 13th April, Rotary Club President David Gordon and Tree of Light Chair Mike Jones went along to Oswestry Leisure Centre to meet representatives from these three charities and present the cheques to them.

President David said: “It is a real pleasure to see the positive effect taking part in sport has on these young (and not so young!) people.  Oswestry Rotary Club is once again delighted to be able to help these very worthy charities carry on supporting their members.”

20.03.15 Midlands Air Ambulance £700

13.03.15 Lingen Davies Cancer Fund £750

Members of the Oswestry Rotary Club Tree of Light committee visited the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to present a cheque for £750 to the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.  Accepting the cheque on behalf of the charity, Louise Dawson, Fundraising Manager said, "I would like to thank the members of the Rotary Club of Oswestry for nominating the charity and everyone who supported the Tree of Light, we are very grateful for the support."

Lingen Davies Cancer Fund launched the ACTION appeal on Saturday 10th January 2015 pledging to raise £750,000 by the end of 2016 to help fund an additional world class Linear Accelerator (LINAC) for the Cancer and Haematology Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Louise presented a certificate to Oswestry Rotary Club in exchange for the cheque showing a piece of jigsaw - a  donation of £750 translates to 1 piece of the 1000-piece jigsaw showing a new LINAC machine to deliver radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients. The department already has two machines, but a third is desperately needed so that waiting times for treatment do not increase.

Their aim is to ensure that as many patients as possible in Shropshire and Mid-Wales can receive radiotherapy treatment quickly and with minimum disruption to their daily lives. Without their fundraising, people would have to travel to other hospitals much further afield.

Why a LINAC?

• 50% of patients diagnosed with cancer require radiotherapy treatment.
• Demand for radiotherapy treatment in their unit is growing by 5% per year.
• Patients have to make daily visits for radiotherapy treatment over a number of days or weeks and their fundraising will ensure they can be treated as close to home as possible.
• The LINAC will deliver a targeted dose of high-energy radiation to either shrink tumours or destroy smaller tumours.
• The advanced technology of the machine allows radiotherapy treatment to be targeted even more precisely, minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
• Clinical staff at the hospital will be able to develop and deliver advanced radiotherapy techniques for certain types of cancer due to the high-level performance of the machine.

06.03.15 Transhouse £500

Transhouse is a registered charity for people with spinal cord injuries providing short-term accommodation and advocacy support for their clients, while helping them to find and adapt suitable long-term accommodation in their chosen area.  Currently, the charitable trust operates from two 4 bed wheelchair accessible bungalows in Oswestry with an additional new property on Hignett Place, off Swan Lane in Oswestry becoming available later this year.

Transhouse supporters including President Professor Waghi El Masri, Michelle Bunyan (Trustee), Chairman and former Transhouse resident Darren Hughes, Director Cllr Cynthia Hawksley and Vice-Chair Mrs Pat Moore hosted a group of members from Oswestry Rotary Club for the handover and morning tea!

The Trust has plans to develop the garden at the rear of the bungalows to make it more wheelchair friendly - we look forward to seeing how they get on.

02.03.15 Shropshire Women's Refuge £500

Gill, Domestic Violence Services Manager from the Shropshire Women's Refuge spoke at Club today about the work and value of the Refuge.  The Club was pleased to present Gill with a cheque for £500 for money raised by the Tree of Light 2014.

23.02.15 Hope House Children's Hospices £700

President David Gordon, ToL Organiser Mike Jones, Jayne Middleton and Hazel Yates met up with Lynsey Kilvert, Area Fundraiser (Shropshire and Powys), Hope House Children's Hospices at Hope House this afternoon to present a cheque for £700 donated by the Tree of Light 2014 Campaign.

One of our members recently made a calculation and discovered that our Club has raised £12,718 for Hope House over the years.  Let's hope we can keep collecting for this fantastic charity in years to come.  Thank you for your support!

Just out of interest, we will now be calling President Dave, Johnny "Both Barrels" Quick courtesy of The Pirate Name Generator website :)

NB They were trying appear more 'interesting' for the photo!