Who are the Sussex Cancer Fund?

It feels strange for a charity celebrating their 40th anniversary to be asked this question as you would think that with a history of service this long we would be well known.

But the truth is we have been quietly supporting patients and cancer services in Sussex for four decades just a little under the public radar. Originally set up by Dr George Deutch and other cancer centre staff to create a fund to buy additional equipment and patient comforts and also to fund medical research projects but with the ultimate aim of providing the best possible cancer care to patients in Sussex.

The Sussex Cancer Fund is now run by just two part-time staff, Julia and Joanna with a board of Trustees with Dr David Bloomfield, Consultant Oncologist at the helm. Our small size means we have incredibly low overheads meaning more of the money we raise goes to help cancer patients, and also means we are very flexible and can respond to staff requests for equipment or help very quickly.

What does the Sussex Cancer Fund Do?

Put simply we buy equipment, additional patient services, carry out refurbishments and building projects, and fund cancer research, essentially everything the major national charities do but the money we raise stays here in Sussex. The Sussex Cancer Fund really are unsung heroes as it is likely that every Cancer Patient in Sussex has benefitted in some way from something the Sussex Cancer Fund has provided.

We realise that having cancer treatment is tough both physically and emotionally; we try and make the process a little more bearable. Gestures like providing decent tea and coffee, music in the radiography suites, an up to date glossy magazine to read right through to having your own patient gown to preserve dignity are small but appreciated touches we provide patients. One of the most recognised patient benefits is the provision of the Sussex Cancer Fund car park, receiving daily treatments is stressful enough without having to worry about where to park.

To help ease treatment effects we also provide therapeutic massage and medical acupuncture. Our medical acupuncture run through CBAS and currently based in Brighton has been especially well received and we have a long waiting list, even longer now due to COVID restrictions but in 2021 once restrictions are eased we are hoping to extend the service to other areas providing satellite clinics so people don’t have to travel so far and also some group work where patients can gain support from other patients going through similar experiences, receive treatment and learn some self-treatment techniques.

In terms of the equipment we buy, it can be anything from small items like thermometers and I-pads through to state of the art medical equipment costing thousands and thousands of pounds. Improved Patient Care and treatment effectiveness and efficiency are at the heart of all our purchases and by supporting the NHS in this way we hope to provide the best possible cancer care in Sussex.

In the early years, much of our work involved refurbishments and building work including the complete refurbishment of the Sussex Cancer Centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. Again this was with patient comfort in mind. We wanted to move from the stark dentist waiting room style and create a softer more coffee shop like areas to ease patient anxiety. We created quiet rooms where patients can receive difficult news in a private and in a more comfortable space. Our most ambitious project was the Macmillan Horizon Centre. The Sussex Cancer Fund wanted to create a supportive hub for cancer patients, where they could receive advice, access additional services and even attend specialist cookery and exercise classes. Realising the project would have been too big for the fund alone we worked in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Care, and Brighton and Sussex University Hospital Trust to create this much-needed facility. We invested £1.6million into the Horizon project and still contribute £50,000 every year towards its running costs.

Our research projects have gained momentum and we have supported projects looking at a very broad range of cancers from Brain Tumours and Breast Cancer, Leukaemia and Bladder Cancers to name just a few. Some of our projects have gone on to gain international recognition and it is great to feel we are contributing to the world’s fight against cancer from here in Sussex.

How are you asking the Business Community to help?

Along with most charities COVID has had a devastating effect on our fundraising activities, we had an 80% drop in fundraising income in 2020. Although we punch well above our weight in what the charity achieves, we rely very heavily on our supporters to raise funds for us, with such a small team we don’t have the resources or funds to put on our own flashy fundraising events. This is why even before COVID we were starting to reach out to the business community to help us. Being a relatively unknown charity it is hard for us to gain corporate support when we can’t promise the level of exposure of the big charities, so we have started recruiting Business Ambassadors to help raise our profile with the hope that our additional publicity could help generate some much-needed fundraising. With the numbers of patients growing year on year and the expectation that one in two of us will require treatment for cancer at some point in our lives we still have an awful lot of work to do…..please help us.

We Hear from Ambassador Shirley Price of SFC

Writing this made me look back to check when it was that I agreed to become an ambassador for SFC and it was 31 October 2017.

I really can’t believe it has been that long. When I was told about the business ambassadors role with SCF I did not have to think twice about wanting to help them. Sussex Cancer Fund keep their overheads to a minimum so that almost every penny raised can goes directly towards helping their patients in very tangible ways.

You can literally spend as much or as little time helping as you have the time to spare. You can share a social media post whilst doing your own social media, or whilst networking online or in person you can be having conversations and if the opportunity comes up, ask if the company you are speaking to is looking for a charity for their company to support. 

An example of a how you might help is: You may be having a casual conversation with a friend, customer or supplier who may mention that their office is moving and they will be getting rid of notice boards. You could send a quick email to SCF to ask if they have a need for any notice boards, and then introduce the two parties to enable them to liaise. This has cost you a two minute email. It has saved the person / company having to make arrangements to get rid of the items, it has saved SCF having to buy some. A real win/win situation.

This is what an Ambassador for Sussex Cancer Fund can do to help:

• Share SCF social Media posts through your business (& personal) social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

• Write guest blog posts on the SCF site about your personal stories

• Wear two hats to networking events by represent yourself and SCF at events

• Encourage your organisations to participate in SCF fundraising activities

• Post your own messages through social media about SCF

• Find speaking opportunities at business events & networking to raise SCF’s profile

• By helping us find Business partners for sponsorship opportunities

It is all about being open and receptive to what is being said around you and planting little seeds in other people’s minds to see how they too might be able to help in some small way. If 100 people help in a small way, suddenly that is a lot of help and huge results can be achieved.

A huge thank you to SCF for all that they do to help so many in so many ways!