Press Release - 18th November 2004
Holt's
Turn Ale Into Cash For Christie's
Pictured with the new machine left to right is Holt Managing Director, Richard Kershaw, Sir Bobby Charlton and Garry Ashton, Head of Histology at the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research A high tech new machine which uses alcohol to help scientists at
Manchester's The Christie with their work has been unveiled
thanks to the proceeds of 150,000 pints of beer.
Manchester-based
Joseph Holt Breweries have been supporters of The Christie for many
years and last year decided to introduce a seasonal
ale called Paterson's, celebrating the pioneering work of the specialist
cancer hospital.
And during the promotion, 20 pence for each pint of
the beer sold - a whopping 150,000 - has been donated to the hospital,
raising
a massive £30,000 for the ale's namesake, the Paterson Institute
of Cancer Research at The Christie.
The £30,000 has been
used to purchase a tissue processor for the research laboratory's histology
department. The state of the
art machine prepares human tissue samples so they can be used on
slides for examination under a microscope.
Alcohol is used in the process
to make the tissue samples suitable for the slides. The new machine, which
completes the process automatically,
handles up to 200 samples at a time, speeding up work and letting
staff carry on with other essential tasks.
The machine was unveiled recently
by Manchester United soccer legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
Sir Bobby said: "As
a supporter of The Christie myself, I am delighted that Holt's
have been able to carry on their long
established relationship with The Christie. The people of
the North West should be very grateful for everything they do."
Joseph
Holt's helped found the Holt Radium Institute in 1918 and this later amalgamated
with The Christie in 1932.
Joseph Holt was also one of the original sponsors
of the work of Dr Ralston Paterson, who played a pivotal role in the treatment
of
cancer in the 1930s, which made The Christie one of the
leading centres of clinical excellence in this field. The famous
Manchester brewery has supported Christie's ever since. In 1999 Joseph
Holt celebrated their 150th year in business by raising £301,000
for The Christie and Holt Radium Institute. All this money
went to upgrade the Outpatients' department, the entrance to which
is now called the Holt Entrance.
Managing Director Richard Kershaw said: "Every
time we visit the hospital, it stresses to us how important the work carried
out
there is. Holt's is delighted to continue its long association with
The Christie and we hope to be able to do so for many years to come."
Christie Appeals Director Toni Leden added: "We
are very proud of a our relationship with Holt's and would like to
thank them whole
heartedly for their support which has been tremendous over the years.
More importantly, I think we should also thank the people of Manchester
who enjoyed their beer safe in the knowledge they were helping to
raise money for a very worthy cause."
For more information please contact:
The Christie in Manchester is one of the leading cancer centres in Europe - registering around 12,500 new patients and treating about 40,000 patients every year.
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