Press Release - 24th November 2005
JOHN
LEWIS HELPS CHRISTIE OVERHAUL
Pictured left to right is Christie fundraising officer Jacky Plant and Jenny Banfield, secretary of the Community Committee at John Lewis.Staff at John Lewis
in Cheadle have been helping to overhaul a haven for
parents whose children are being
treated at Manchester's The Christie.
Victoria
House is attached to the Young Oncology Unit (YOU) at Europe's
largest cancer treatment and research centre and gives
essential accommodation for
the families of young patients.
The Young Oncology Unit provides
care for teenagers and young adults (up to 24 years of
age) with cancer
and its related illnesses. Due to the nature of the specialist
treatment at The Christie, patients travel from all over
the North-west and beyond and the six bedroom unit at
Victoria House provides families with a ‘home from
home' during what is obviously a very difficult
time.
Victoria House opened 12 years ago in 1993 in memory
of Victoria Green from Tameside who was a patient on
the YOU. Her parents Rita and Steve suggested the idea
and launched a fundraising campaign to help families
who would find themselves in a similar situation in
the future.
Thanks to support from the dozens of families
who use it constantly, the unit has been extremely well
cared
for, but equipment does still need to be constantly
replaced and updated and John Lewis has kindly donated
pots, pans,
bedding and other essential items.
Christie regional appeals
officer Jacky Plant said: “The
value of Victoria House to patients and their families
cannot be under estimated. These are people who are going
through a very traumatic and difficult time, and a simple
thing like providing accommodation close by can make
such a difference during treatment. It is a facility
we're very lucky to have, but we're only
able to make sure all its equipment is of a high-standard
and kept up to date thanks to wonderful donations from
people like the staff at John Lewis. We really are very
grateful for everything they have provided
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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