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May 2018
Appeal to buy new scanner for hospital AN appeal has been launched to raise £550,000 for a new high-tech scanner at King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton, to speed up the diagnosis of diseases like cancer.
ELLIE Downie with youngsters at Oak Tree Leisure Centre, Mansfield.
Gymnastic inspiration ELLIE Downie, one of the most successful female artistic gymnasts in British history, passed on tips to youngsters at Oak Tree Leisure Centre, Mansfield. Ellie, 18, picked prizedraw winners for the centre’s Commonwealth Games Sporting Challenge, answered questions about her career and gave tips on healthy eating. The challenge included a range of free taster sessions to encourage and inspire people of all ages to become more active. The winner of the over-12s prize was Eweline, who won a one-month gym pass. She said she tried out different sports with her children, Tomasz, (8), and Emilia, (5), during the challenge. She said it was a great opportunity to try new activities and Tomasz enjoyed tennis so much that he
was going to start playing regularly. The under-12s winner, Harry Gilbert, received a one-month swim pass. The leisure centre, run by Serco Leisure on behalf of Mansfield District Leisure Trust (MDLT), added a Jump Into Gymnastics programme to its events a year ago and has more than 100 children, aged 4-11, regularly attending sessions. Ellie was the first GB gymnast to win a European all-around gold medal and represented her country at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Darren Kissane, commercial manager of MDLT, said: “It was a great chance for our Jump Into Gymnastics children to get a close-up look at a GB gymnastics superstar. “This can only help to inspire
the next generation of local youngsters to get involved in this great sport.” Ellie, whose visit was part of her opening a new Aldi store in Mansfield, said: “I live and train fairly close by so it’s nice to be able to support and give back to the local community. “Hopefully I can inspire other children in Mansfield to try the sport and, who knows, one may even become a future Olympian.” Aldi is donating fresh fruit to the leisure centre as part of its Get Set To Eat Fresh initiative, which aims to encourage children, aged 5 to 14, to develop a love for fresh, healthy food. Places are available on the leisure centre’s gymnastics programme by calling 0345 0000231. l SEE page 6 for report on the opening of the Aldi store.
Money raised through the campaign, which is being run by the hospital’s charity, will be used to buy a gamma scanner with CT scanning technology for the nuclear medicine department at the hospital. It will enable more than 2,000 patients each year to have advanced scans and revolutionise how they are diagnosed and treated. Over the next 10 years, cancer, heart, urology and many other patients are expected to benefit from the scanner, which will show how the body and its organs function, as well as producing images of inside the body by combining the technology of both a gamma scanner and CT in a single scan. This will reduce the number of scans a patient might need and speed up diagnosis and treatment time. It will reduce invasive procedures. Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust, which runs the hospital, is urging the community, businesses and fundraising groups to get behind the appeal in any way they can. Nuclear medicine specialist at the trust, Robert Bradley, said: “Our current gamma scanner is an integral piece of hospital equipment and has helped to diagnose cancer and other illnesses in more than 15,000 people over the last 10 years. “However, it is time to move with the times and bring new technology to the hospital that can benefit even more people. “The cost of replacing such an important piece of equipment is a big investment and so we need the help of as many people as possible — this is their opportunity to contribute to the future of nuclear medicine at their local hospital. “One of the benefits of the new gamma camera is that it will also include a CT scanning function so patients can have two different scans at the
DR Susan Geary and Robert Bradley are urging the public to back the £550,000 scanner appeal at King’s Mill Hospital. same time, cutting down on the number of hospital appointments and scans needed, and also enabling us to scan more patients.” Consultant radiologist at the trust, Dr Susan Geary, added: “The fusion of the functional data with the high-definition CT imaging allows me to report my findings with much greater accuracy than ever before. “This is particularly true when imaging the bones, such as when looking for spread of breast or prostate cancer, or looking for evidence of heart disease — two of the most common types of scan that we do. “It’s vital that we have access to the very latest technology to give our patients the best service.” It is hoped the new scanner will be working by summer 2019. Donations to the appeal can be made by texting 70070 and quoting SFHC18 to donate £5 or £10, online at JustGiving (www.justgiving.com/sher woodforest) or by cash or cheque at the Community Hub in the entrance of King’s Mill Hospital. Cheques should be made payable to Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity.
Join in first Mansfield Mayor’s Community Parade - pages 30, 31
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