Lingen Davies Cancer Fund has announced that the charity will be opening a new site in Newtown to support patients in mid Wales thanks to a large legacy of £367,000 that was bequeathed to the charity by a Powys resident.
Plas Dolerw will be the charity’s mid Wales home after the gift was recently donated to be used to support growth in the region, spread awareness of cancer and help improve the lives of those impacted by the condition in the area.
Local cancer patients, fundraisers, and charity trustees, along with the new High Sheriff of Reg Cawthorne, Montgomeryshire MS Russell George and Newtown Mayor Cllr John Byrne have been invited to a special opening ceremony that will take place at the building next door to St Mary's Catholic Primary School on Thursday (April 20).
Lingen Davies was established in 1979 to deliver dedicated cancer services at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital - reducing the need for people from mid Wales and Shropshire to travel further into the West Midlands for care and treatment. More than 4,000 new patients every year attend the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre on the hospital site.
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Naomi Atkin, CEO for Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, said the launch of a dedicated base in Newtown is a huge and exciting step forward for the charity and people of mid Wales.
“We have a thriving supporter base in Powys and are delighted at this opportunity to join other charities in Newtown’s Plas Dolerw.
“We’re keen to further establish ourselves in Powys, working in the local community and with health partners to raise awareness about cancer, and deliver support services to people living with and beyond cancer.”
The charity’s Cancer Champion’s work, which has so far been rolled out in Telford in partnership with NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, is part of a wider national programme to address the low uptake of cancer screening invitations in certain areas and among those communities less likely to engage with health screening.
Additional funding means the work can now be extended into Powys. A dedicated Powys Cancer Champion Coordinator has been appointed to further spread awareness about cancer in the area.
The large legacy bequeathed to the charity will be used to benefit communities across Powys, as well as allowing the charity to extend the iCan physical activity and wellbeing programme to locations in the county. It will also support a small grants scheme which will be open to anyone working to improve the lives of those impacted by cancer.
The Lingen Davies Cancer Fund has an active fundraising programme and has raised millions of pounds to deliver equipment, state of the art technology, and resources for patients. It exists to ensure local people can access excellent cancer services locally.
Ms Atkin added: “Like any charity we also want to grow our fundraising streams and are looking to the people of mid Wales to join our events, get involved as a volunteer for the charity, fundraise for us and help us continue our vital, life-saving work to enhance local cancer services and work towards cancer prevention.”
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