Margaret presents £505 cheque to Exeter Breast Cancer Support Fund

A LOCAL fundraiser who gave a lot of her time last year to knitting Christmas puddings filled with Ferrero Rocher chocolates has presented a cheque for £505 to the Exeter Breast Cancer Support Fund.

Margaret Phillips of Sandford raised a total of £405 plus a further £100 which was part of the proceeds from a coffee morning held in the village at the beginning of December.

Every year approximately 600 women are newly diagnosed with breast cancer and treated at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. The Breast Care Nursing Service provides support for these women from the time of their diagnosis, through treatments and up to follow up appointments.

Gill Gray, Lead Breast Care Nurse Specialist, who received the cheque from Mrs Phillips, said: “The support fund was set up through the generosity of patients, their families and friends who wanted to give specifically to the service that had supported them at a difficult time.

“They made it clear that they wanted to give something back and ensure support for women that would follow them.

“Over the past 20 years the fund has directly supported our service by funding our patient information and the ongoing training needs of the Breast Care Nurses.

“We are also able to make individual grants of money to women who are suffering financial hardship.”

The fund currently supports the FORCE cancer charity to provide acupuncture for women who develop hot flushes due to their cancer treatment and also provides funding to enable the safe facilitation of the Breast Cancer Support Groups.

For the past three years the fund has also funded the secondary breast cancer support group annual outing, which was much appreciated.

Gill added: “On behalf of the Exeter Breast Care Team, and the women we support, I would like to thank Margaret for her generous donation.”

Margaret also thanked everyone who bought the Christmas puddings and attended her coffee morning and helped contribute towards the £505 that she presented.

Carol Furze