FUNDRAISING FOR A CURE
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From skydives and marathons, to bake offs and long distance cycling, PLANETS Cancer Charity supporters have gone above and beyond this spring — raising more than £20,000.
Hampshire-based PLANETS supports patients with pancreatic, liver, colorectal, abdominal (oesophageal and gastric) and neuroendocrine cancers.
The charity received a major boost in April when it received a £10,000 cheque from kitchen appliance manufacturer Kenwood following a year of employee-led fundraising throughout 2024.
Staff took part in a wide range of activities, including a bake off with PLANETS patron and celebrity chef Lesley Waters, an orienteering challenge and a skydive by one brave staff member.
The company has now chosen PLANETS as its Charity of the Year for the second year running
“We’re incredibly grateful for Kenwood’s continued support and for the creativity and passion their team brings to fundraising,” said Layla Stephen, director of strategy and finance at PLANETS. “This contribution will have a real and lasting impact on the patients we support.”
Following this donation, supporters from across the region have rallied behind the cause in recent weeks to raise another £10,000.
Philip Sutton cycled an extraordinary 150 miles in a single day – completing the Isle of Wight Randonnee twice – in memory of two friends lost to cancer, while Adam Ward tackled the Brighton Marathon in three hours and 30 minutes, raising £500 in honour of his father and a friend undergoing treatment.
Meanwhile, marathon runners Laura Offer and Richard Gray conquered the Manchester and London marathons, raising a combined total of more than £5,300. Consultant surgeon Ali Arshad faced his fear of heights with a skydive that brought in £1,230 for the charity.
Community groups have also played a big role: Rowlands Castle Golf Club hosted its most successful charity day yet, with 104 golfers raising £950, and The Fletcher Foundation donated £500, presented by neuroendocrine cancer patient Phil Fletcher.
Other standout fundraisers included Abbie Phelan, who walked 100 miles in honour of her mother, raising over £650; and a team from civil aviation company CAE, led by Samantha Rowley, who completed a 10km challenge to support a colleague undergoing bowel cancer treatment – raising £1,295
“These stories represent the heart of PLANETS,” said Jo Green, director of operations and marketing at PLANETS. “Each step, mile and donation helps us move closer to new treatment options and better outcomes for patients facing some of the toughest cancer diagnoses.”
READ ABOUT HOW FUNDS ARE USED
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PLANETS Funds New Wellbeing Room for Liver Ward at UHS
PLANETS funds new wellbeing room for liver patients at University Hospital Southampton A new wellbeing room funded by PLANETS Cancer Charity has been opened for patients with liver diseases at University Hospital Southampton. The facility, located on the gastroenterology and hepatology ward, provides a quiet space for patients and a place for private conversations which […]
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PLANETS funds novel 3D printed livers to aid complex surgery
Surgeons in Southampton are the first in the UK to begin using 3D printed models of patients’ livers to help them perform a complex cancer operation. Converting the data available from CT and MRI scans of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma – a type of bile duct cancer – into 3D models will enable better planning […]
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PLANETS Charity Welcome Coach Alison Bailey to their Support Team
Here at PLANETS we understand how daunting a cancer diagnosis can be. We know firsthand the transformative power of support throughout the cancer journey and have experienced ourselves the highs and lows, the triumphs and setbacks and the profound impact they can have on your life. We are very happy to be welcoming Alison Bailey, […]
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PLANETS completes £1 million fundraising campaign to purchase pioneering radiotherapy machine
PLANETS has thanked its supporters after completing a £1 million fundraising campaign and making the final payment for a pioneering radiotherapy machine. PLANETS Cancer Charity has been fundraising for the past six years to fully purchase Mobetron, a revolutionary mobile device which delivers radiotherapy during surgery – known as intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT). When the charity […]
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PLANETS Receive £10,000 Grant from The Hospital Saturday Fund
Thank you to John Greenwood, Trustee of the The Hospital Saturday Fund, for visiting us on Monday and bringing this incredible grant of £10,000 to support our IORT (Intra Operative Radiotherapy) machine. This will enable us to continue delivering this lifesaving treatment at University Hospital Southampton – the only centre in the UK currently offering […]
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PLANETS Fund ‘New View’ Psychotherapy Course for NET Patients
PLANETS have funded a psychotherapy programme, after a successful pilot course, to help NET patients see their diagnosis in a ‘new view’. We all know that different people deal with their neuroendocrine cancer diagnosis very differently. Initially there are lots of scary tests and Doctor appointments. Then there are lots of talk about […]
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Head and Neck Cancer Patient Treated with IORT in UK First
A woman from Salisbury has become the first patient in the UK with head and neck cancer to receive radiotherapy in the operating theatre during surgery to remove a recurrent tumour. Jayne Garrett, 53, underwent major surgery at University Hospital Southampton on 25 April after suffering a recurrence of her cancer following conventional treatment […]
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PLANETS Host the 1st National IORT Symposium
It was an honour to present the fantastic work and great initial results to medics from all over the country at our 1st National IORT (intra-operative radiotherapy) Symposium on Friday June 21st at University Hospital Southampton. After a lot of hard work and fundraising in order to bring IORT to the UK for the […]
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PLANETS Cancer Charity and the Robert White Trust, Fund a new regional NET Cancer Dietitian
A dietitian funded by PLANETS Cancer Charity and the Robert White Trust Fund is due to start work to develop and provide a comprehensive dietetic service to patients diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer (NETs). Ruth Lee will be based at the Dorset NET service, which is part of the Wessex European Neuroendocrine tumour society centre […]
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Southampton Secure £200k from The Robert White Trust for NETs Research
PLANETS are excited to share the news that University Hospital Southampton have secured £200,000 funding from the Robert White Trust for a research project that aims to gain a better understanding of NET biology which may lead to a greater range of treatment options for patients with this rare disease. Robert White was a former […]
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Bowel cancer patient becomes first in UK to be treated with IORT
We are thrilled and proud to update our supporters that a Southampton bowel cancer patient has become the first in the UK to receive radiotherapy during surgery using the IORT machine that PLANETS has funded. he 58-year-old male, who completed a combination of conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy in August, underwent major surgery at Southampton […]
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IORT Launch is a Success!
SOUTHAMPTON CLINICIANS PIONEER USE OF REVOLUTIONARY CANCER DEVICE PLANETS founders Neil Pearce and Brian Stedman, together with fund manager Layla Stephen successfully launched our long awaited IORT machine last night. The Mobetron is the first portable system able to administer the treatment in this way – known as intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) – and will […]
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IORT Arrives at Southampton!
PLANETS are thrilled to announce that the eagle (finally) has landed! 2 tons of intra-operative radio-therapy machine (IORT) arrived from the USA this week – currently undergoing acceptance testing. This is the UK’s first ever mobile electron beam radiotherapy machine for treating cancers during surgery. Thanks to everyone who has supported our fundraising which has […]
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Southampton Aiding Research into Earlier Diagnosis for Pancreatic Cancer
You may have notice that Southampton was mentioned in recent media stories regarding The National Tumour Bank that is carrying out important pancreatic cancer research? Colin Johnson, Professor of Surgical Sciences at University of Southampton, has this to say about the project: ‘The National Tissue Bank is a major development in pancreatic cancer research. Several […]
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Sainsbury’s Hedge End Donate Digital Radios
A big thank you to Sainsbury’s Hedge End for donating two digital radios to PLANETS to be used in the lead lined Gamma Scanner Rooms at Southampton General. Pictured presenting the radios to staff in the scanner rooms are PLANETS Fund Manager, Layla Stephen, and Dr Brian Stedman.
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PLANETS to Fund Pancreatic Cancer Research at Southampton
PLANETS Charitable Fund are excited to have committed to provide a grant over a two year period for a pancreatic research project: ́The role of Eps8 in αvβ6-dependent functions in pancreatic cancer invasion’ to be undertaken by Dr Jo Tod. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) has one of the worst outcomes of any cancer; only 3.7% of patients […]
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First Patient Receives PRRT at Southampton thanks to PLANETS
[social_button button=”facebook” flayout=”standard ” fwidth=”450″ faction=”like” fcolorsheme=”light”] UHS magazine Connect featured a fantastic article about NET patient Maureen McKenzie who, in July 2013, became the first Southampton patient to receive PRRT (peptide receptor radionuclide therapy). The equipment for this treatment was jointly funded by UHS and PLANETS showing just how important and valuable the […]
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Improving Patient Services Across the Region
[social_button button=”facebook” flayout=”standard ” fwidth=”450″ faction=”like” fcolorsheme=”light”] Pancreatic cancer affects over 8000 patients each year in the uk and remains the fifth biggest cancer killer in the UK, despite this its has been underfunded for many years and currently receives just 1% of total cancer research funding in the UK. NETs are a rare form […]
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