Cancer patients in East Yorkshire will benefit thanks to a Cottingham-based caravan and motorhome manufacturer, which has helped raise £10,000 to help ease their day-to-day lives.
The money was raised after the Swift Group donated a brand new £14,000 Swift caravan as a prize at the Caravan Club Centenary Ball in London last month (June).
Guests at the prestigious event, who were asked to make a cash donation to Macmillan Cancer Support to enter the prize draw, raised a staggering £10,260 for the charity.
The Swift Challenger caravan was won by Tyneside couple Jenny and Russell Gilchrist who took up caravanning a year ago.
Macmillan Cancer Fundraising Manager for Humberside Robyn Mountain said: “The support we have received from Swift is simply amazing.
“This is a fantastic amount of money and will make a real difference to local people affected by cancer. It is examples such as this which really illustrate that you do not have to be a nurse to help people living with cancer - this money really will help change someone's if not many people’s lives.”
Swift Group Marketing Director Richard White said: “Over the years, Swift have raised a lot of money for Macmillan and this latest amount brings the total to over £50,000.
“The Caravan Club Centenary Ball provided the ideal opportunity for us to raise money and we are delighted with the amount raised. It is the largest single amount we have ever raised at one event and, most importantly, will all go towards helping people with cancer in the Hull area.”
The money is likely to be distributed via the charity’s ‘Macmillan Grants’ initiative, which aims to ease the financial worries of people and children affected by cancer and helps with a wide range of practical needs.
Typically people apply for grants to help with fares for travelling to and from hospital for treatment, heating bills, washing machines and other household items to help make life easier.
Grants are also given for items that help people with cancer continue with activities they enjoy. For example, a grant was given to a man with cancer of the larynx to help pay for a special swimming device that allowed him to still enjoy his passion for swimming after surgery.
Each week Macmillan Cancer makes a difference to the lives of over 400 people affected by cancer by providing them with a grant. Sometimes more than one grant is given to a person if they have a number of needs or if their circumstances and needs change.
So far this year, a total of £30,358 has been awarded to 80 cancer patients living in Hull, with £5,411 (16 grants) provided for convalescent breaks.