Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which has its fundraising office within Rosemere Cancer Centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, has closed its premises.
The charity’s fundraising coffee shop, which is also within the centre and provides free drinks to patients and carers while selling refreshments to bring in revenue to finance projects, is being temporarily closed.
In addition, the free complementary therapies it funds at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital to help cancer patients in treatment, are being temporarily suspended.
Dan Hill, Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s chief officer said: “At the heart of everything Rosemere Cancer Foundation does is the wellbeing of local cancer patients.
“They are in a vulnerable group in relation to coronavirus so we have taken the decision to try and protect them and those caring for them by restricting those that come into the cancer centre and into the cancer unit at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.”
Dan continued: “Our fundraising team comes into contact with a lot of people from all walks of life from school children upwards. Our coffee shop is staffed entirely by volunteers, who have families and full lives outside of the centre, which is the same for our complementary health therapists working in Chorley.
“We know that there are patients who are attempting to keep themselves isolated as much as possible to try and protect themselves from coronavirus and out of respect and support for them, we have taken these unprecedented steps to limit those that they come into contact with to just cancer centre and cancer unit staff only, so primarily the clinical teams treating them plus others essential to keeping the cancer centre and cancer unit running.”
Dan added: “This does not mean we are suspending our fundraising efforts. Our fundraising team is working as usual out in the community and from home.
“Our aim is to re-open the coffee shop and re-establish our complementary therapy service as soon as we are advised the time is right.”
Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, the region’s specialist cancer treatment centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties, including that at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital.
The charity funds cutting edge equipment, research, training and other cancer services and therapies that the NHS is unable to afford. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk
