Claire’s mission to support Somerset cancer treatment fundraising
Claire Sully, MP candidate for the new Bridgwater constituency, has made it one of her missions to support fundraising for cancer treatments for Somerset residents.
A chance meeting with a local charity fundraiser showed Claire how important access to local care is for cancer sufferers.
Claire met Gail Wills, a fundraiser for cancer charity S.U.R.E., when she was invited to an event at Victoria Park Bowling Club in Bridgwater.
North Petherton resident Gail and her fellow campaigners have raised more than £5 million to buy the latest radiotherapy equipment for the Beacon Centre, which is Somerset’s cancer treatment centre of excellence.
The charity was set up, as originally cancer patients from the area had to travel to Bristol for radiotherapy, and the arduous nature of these long trips, which sometimes had to be made daily, put some off from continuing treatment.
Claire visited the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital accompanied by Cllr Mike Best, Chair of Somerset Council and met Jo Penman, head of radiotherapy at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust who took her on a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities at the centre and talked through the treatment pathway. Claire and Cllr Best were also joined by department head Steve McCormack, S.U.R.E. chair of trustees Paul Alway and Gail Wills.