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Why Support Lingen Davies? 31 Reasons for 31 Days!

It’s August! As its holiday season, and many of our lovely supporters are away, we thought we’d make supporting the charity even easier this month. We’ve been having a think about Lingen Davies, and all the ways in which the charity has supported people in the past, and why it’s still so important that people support us today. For some light holiday reading, we’re going to give you a little story or factoid every day this month- by the end of it, you’ll have 31 great reasons to get involved, and tell your friends to do the same! All we’re asking is that you consider donating £2 to help us reach our £1.25 million appeal total and make a positive difference to lives affected by cancer in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales. If everyone in our area did this, we would hit our appeal target today! #31reasons

Here’s a few to get you started…

  1. Our charity’s founders, Bernard Lingen and Frank Davies, brought radiotherapy services to Shropshire for the very first time following a mammoth fundraising effort in 1979. Without their vision and hard work, we may not have cancer services in our region today. This would mean people would have to travel significantly further for treatment, with most people going to Wolverhampton or Stoke. You can read more about their original appeal here…

  2. Our money goes into innovative, award-winning projects that support treatment and recovery for people in our region. We recently funded the development of an online App for people going through chemotherapy, and people who have been treated for prostate cancer. The App is only in use in Shropshire, and recently won a national Patient Safety Award for it’s positive impact on people’s experiences. Read more here!

  3. Cancer treatment is more likely to be successful it we start it early! We want to help people recognise signs of cancer more easily, and feel confident in talking to their GP if they are worried. Dr Bruce Eden, an LD trustee and former GP, is giving talks to local groups about how they can keep themselves healthy and understand when to seek advice from a doctor. Want a talk for your group? Keen to find out more? Click here.

  4. In today’s money, the amazing efforts of Lingen Davies fundraisers have put c£18 million into local cancer services. Here’s a round up of some of our previous projects….

  5. We estimate that 75,000 people have been supported through their treatment through these appeals. Once of these is Dave, who had treatment for prostate cancer at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. You can read about Dave’s experiences here.

  6. 1 in 2 people born since 1960 will get cancer* during their lifetime. For those of us living in Shropshire, Telford, or Mid Wales, the services funded by Lingen Davies will almost certainly be part of our treatment (or that of our friends and family), when we need it. *Source: Cancer Research UK

  7. The first thing we are going to buy from our appeal funds is an MRI Guided Prostate Biopsy Machine. Prostate cancer can only be diagnosed by taking samples from the prostate. This machine makes biopsies more accurate and reduces the need for them to be repeated. This leads to quicker diagnoses and faster access to the right treatment. There is no such machine currently available in our area, so our fundraising will make a real difference to men with suspected prostate cancer.

  8. Our amazing supporters helped us hit our last appeal target 4 months ahead of schedule! This meant that we could contribute £750,000 towards a brand new Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine, for the delivery of radiotherapy, as well as a Perfect Pitch Couch to help make the treatment faster and more accurate.

  9. We’re also currently raising funds for equipment to make the diagnosis of bowel cancer more accurate and comfortable for patients. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 12% of all cancers. For more info on bowel cancer click here…

  10. We’re supported entirely by our wonderful local community. The Lewis and Jones family from Llanfyllin are no exception- they’ve been supporting us since 2014 and their recent auction raised over £10,000! Of course, you don’t need to raise thousands- every penny really does count! Read more about the Lewis and Jones family here

  11. As well as funding medical equipment, we want to support people to have a better quality of life during and after their treatment. We are currently providing funding for complementary therapies to make local peoples’ journey through cancer that little bit easier. These therapies are delivered by the wonderful people at the Hamar Centre, RSH. 

  12. Our appeal total is in six figures! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far- what a great effort!! You can follow our progress on our online totaliser here. We’re aiming for £1.25 million by June 2019. If everyone in our area donated just £2, we’d hit that target today! Text LDCF40 £2 to 70070 to help!

  13. Without Lingen Davies- funded services, local people may need to travel to Wolverhampton, Stoke or Birmingham for treatment. Around 12% of patients treated for cancer by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust come from Mid Wales, (including Rachael, who’s story you can read here) and for them this could mean a journey of 60 miles or more to access treatment (Newtown to Wolverhampton is 65 miles!). We think it’s vital that we continue to fund high quality, accessible services for people in our community. Our 40th Anniversary Appeal will do just that!

  14. More than 40% of cancers could be prevented by making healthy lifestyle choices*. We want to help people in Shropshire, Telford and Mid Wales stay healthy and reduce their chances of getting cancer. We’ve been out and about at local events with FREE sunscreen and info about keeping your skin safe in the sun. If you’d like us to attend your event, please email [email protected]. To find out more about skin cancer click here. *Source: Cancer Research UK

  15. In 2016, we received 2,800 individual donations from the community, totaling £444,661.91. The vast majority of these donations were under £100 each, but they add up to an amazing total. You really don’t need to give much to make a difference!

  16. The number of people surviving cancer in the UK has doubled in the last 40 years. 50% of patients will now survive 10 years or more*, although there is enormous variation in this number depending on the type of cancer they have. This is an amazing improvement, but there is still more to do. We are the only local charity focussed on the active treatment, and cure, for people with cancer in our community. *Source: Cancer Research UK

  17. Following a legacy left to the charity by a south Shropshire GP, Dr Linnie Hamar,  Lingen Davies funded the Help and Support Centre at RSH in 1991.  The Hamar Centre offers counselling, therapies and holds support groups for people with cancer and other illnesses. If you would like to find out more, or have been supported by the Hamar Centre in the past, you are welcome to come along to their Summer Celebration on Wednesday 13th September, 2.00-4.00pm at the centre!

  18. You can support us every time you eat out- at no cost to you! Next time you’re heading out for dinner, book your table at a range of local restaurants with #ChariTableBookings and select our charity – the restaurant will donate £1 per diner at no cost to you! Either download the App onto your phone or click here for the website!

  19. Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust (SaTH) estimate that by 2030, 27,300 people will be living with cancer* in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. We want to make sure that we’re there for them. *SaTH Cancer Strategy 2016-2020

  20. By supporting us, you can join #teamLD, our amazing band of volunteers, fundraisers, and donors who make our work possible. Our supporters never fail to amaze us with their creative ideas- including Pauline, who celebrated her 80th birthday by having a go on Europe’s longest zipwire (all sponsored for Lingen Davies of course!).

  21. The amazing team at Shrewsbury delivered 20,613 radiotherapy treatments in 2016. That’s an average of 80 per day (5 days per week, 52 weeks of the year). Radiotherapy is used to treated a wide range of cancers and demand for treatments is growing every year! The new LINAC, and Perfect Pitch Couch, (funded with a £916k contribution from Lingen Davies), are now up and running. This new machine will help manage the increasing number of patients and make sure no one has to wait for treatment!

  22. Music fan? Based in Mid Wales? The amazing Zonfest festival is back THIS SUNDAY! Hosted by the lovely crew at the Horseshoe, Arddleen, Zonfest has 13 bands confirmed so far and is set to be a fantastic day. You can support Lingen Davies just by going along- click here for details!

  23. Many people with cancer have chemotherapy as part of their treatment. Chemotherapy uses cytotoxic drugs which destroy cancer cells. There’s lots of different chemotherapy drugs, and the treatment is tailored to each individual patient. In 2012, Lingen Davies donated £3.2 million towards the building of the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre, including the chemotherapy unit, at RSH. Between April 2016 and March 2017, 11,196 chemotherapy treatments were given to local people. In the first 4 months of 2017/18 (April-July), 3832 treatments were delivered; a 7% increase on the same time period last year.

  24. We’re encouraging people to lower their risk of getting cancer. You may have heard today that over 40% of people aged 40-60 don’t walk briskly for 10 minutes once per month! Keeping fit and maintaining a healthy weight can help lower the risk of some types of cancer. According to government info, hot off the press… “Taking at least 1 brisk 10 minute walk a day has been shown to reduce the risk of early death by 15%. A 10 minute walk can contribute to meeting the CMO’s physical activity guidance of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each week. This can lead to health benefits including a lowered risk of type 2 diabetes (by 40%), cardiovascular disease (by 35%), dementia (by 30%) and some cancers (by 20%).”   For the full article click here. Get walking folks!

  25. Following on from yesterday’s (lack of) exercise news, maybe you need some inspiration to get moving? We’re pleased to announce that applications to run the London Marathon for Lingen Davies are now open! Fancy a challenge? Join #teamLD! Details here

  26. Heading out in the sun over the bank holiday? There’s lots of amazing events going on all around our beautiful region! Whatever you’re doing, we’re here to help you stay safe and healthy in the sun. Click here for some top tips on protecting yourself this summer and lowering your risk of skin cancer.

  27. We’re supporting local people to share their experiences of cancer in order to help others understand their own situation, or know what to expect. We think this also gives a great insight to people who don’t have cancer themselves, but may have a friend or family member who does. Many people have told us that they want to hear from ‘ordinary’ people about what cancer, and treatment, is like- so we’re trying to make that happen! If you have experienced cancer, and would like to share your story on our website, please get in touch here

  28. You really should think about that London Marathon place we mentioned last week. In the year Francesca turned 40, she did FOUR marathons, all for Lingen Davies. Read more about her here (and then crack on with your application for a place this year here. We will let you off if you just do the one)

  29. We’re helping our community recognize the signs and symptoms of common cancers, through online information, leaflets, presence at events, and talks to local groups. The third most common cancer in the UK is lung cancer. Sadly, survival rates for lung cancer are lower than other common cancers, but prospects are much better if it is diagnosed early. The best thing you can do to help prevent lung cancer is to stop smoking (according to Cancer Research UK, 86% of lung cancers are caused by smoking). However, there are also other causes. If you’re concerned about your lung health, or would like support to stop smoking, go and see your GP! Click here for some lung cancer info and links to other useful websites.

  30. September is shaping up to be a month of fab events- you can support Lingen Davies just by doing something fun! We’ve got Jazz and Fizz, a lovely end of summer ‘Come Wine with Me’ at Wroxeter, Bridge, coffee, rummage sales, and even a 24-hour Ploughing Event! Why not see what takes your fancy and come along for a day out with a difference? Click here for our full events listing.

  31. We think 30 reasons is enough. Along with our amazing volunteers, fundraisers and donors, we are supporting vital services to remain local, cutting edge, and continuing to develop with new advances in technology and community needs. Unfortunately, it is unlikely any of us will live lives entirely unaffected by cancer, but we want to do our bit to make sure our local services have the resources they need. Fundraising can be hard work, but the more people get involved, the more we can achieve. If everyone in our area donated just £2, we would achieve our £1.25 million appeal target today. If you can, please text LDCF40 £2 to 70070.  But it doesn’t need to be cash- you could attend or run an event, be sponsored for a challenge, or donate your time and skills as a volunteer. So think about it- what could you do?

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