Getting
mobile brings funds for charity
The Deputy Mayor of Medway, Cllr Nick
Bowler was at mhs express in Chatham High Street recently to
receive old mobile phones for charity on "Old Phone Friday."
The fundraising idea appealed to residents of all our 8000
homes to pool together their old and disused mobiles phones for
charity.
Every year the staff of mhs homes vote
for a charity that they wish to support each year. This year they
have chosen Macmillan Cancer Support to help get a cancer care unit
built at Medway Hospital.
Macmillan Cancer Support is working
with the Medway NHS Trust to build a new Macmillan Cancer Care Unit
for local people at Medway Maritime Hospital. It will mean
that cancer patients can receive chemotherapy in their local
hospital and existing haematology patients will be cared for in a
bright, purpose built ward.
To achieve this, Macmillan Cancer Support needs to raise over £1
million by 2009, to add to the £3 million that is already being
invested by the Medway NHS trust. The work on the new Macmillan
Cancer Care Unit is due to start this month and will be completed
and in use by 2009.
Every team within the mhs homes group
has been challenged to arrange a fundraising event at some point
during 2008 and mhs homes has challenged other local businesses to
do their bit. Tom Billingham, of mhs commercial services decided
that the best way he could raise cash would be to recycle old
mobile phones. His first collection of phones raised £350 so he has
decided to appeal to the public for help. Tom said, "Cancer touches
the lives of all us! It could be any one of us that will need
lifesaving hospital treatment in the future so I wanted to do my
bit and I sincerely hope that other people living in our community
will join us and help."