Donation from dedicated supporter
Date of release: 12 July 2024
A dedicated supporter has raised another £4,000 to help Wolverhampton cancer patients have a more comfortable stay in hospital.
Carol Beddow, from Bilston, was treated for lung cancer at New Cross Hospital after being diagnosed in 2020 and wanted to raise money for the Snowdrop Unit as a thank you for the care she received.
She has since held three fundraising events for The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity – raising more than £5,000 in total.
The latest event she held was a family charity fun day in March at The Grapes Bar and Grill in Bilston. Helped again by grandsons Trent Beddow, aged 16, and Myles Beddow, 13, Carol put on the fun day with a bouncy castle, bingo, a raffle and competitions which raised £4,000.
This paid for 34 iPads for cancer patients to use while they are having chemotherapy.
She said: “My plan is to keep on fundraising until all 52 beds across both Snowdrop Unit and Durnall Unit at The Deanesly Centre have a device.
“Having chemotherapy can be so long, lonely and boring so having access to an IPad or Kindle will help take their mind off things. I hope the devises help lift their spirits.
“When I was having my treatment I was sat there for six hours and this time went very slowly as I didn’t have any access to entertainment so knowing I can make a difference and help others going through the same process really inspires me.”
Carol said she had received a lot of support from her grandsons and the community.
She said: “Everyone has been so generous and I am so proud of how much we have raised. My boys are my rocks and I’m very proud of them – they’ve even sold raffle tickets to their friends.
“I also want to thank my friends Deborah Jackson and Barry Jones for helping on the fun day and helping me raise the funds. Without their help I couldn't have raised the amount I did.”
The devices were received by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Charity and distributed to the units.
Lindsey Goodall, Community and Events Fundraising Officer at RWT Charity, said: “It’s amazing what Carol and her grandsons have done and we thank them for once again raising such a fantastic amount of money. This will really benefit our cancer patients while they are receiving their treatment.”
ENDS
- For further information, please email amy.downward@nhs.net
