Charity marks 25 years of supporting cancer unit

Senior radiographer Nikki Snell said the new unit helped patients be calmer which aided the accuracy of their treatment

A cancer charity in Cornwall is celebrating 25 years of raising funds for medical equipment.

The Sunrise Appeal was founded in 2000 with a mission to support The Sunrise Centre, a specialist cancer unit at Royal Cornwall Hospital (RCHT), Truro, which opened in 2002.

Since then, Janet Shephard, former head of clinical oncology at RCHT and co-founder of the Sunrise Appeal, said the charity has given the centre £2.9m for medical equipment and almost £200,000 in bursaries for oncology staff.

She said the last 25 years had been "an incredible journey" thanks to "the ongoing support of the Cornish community".

Consultant Savvas Rizkalla said the Sunrise Appeal had made an "absolutely huge difference" to cancer patients

Before the unit opened many cancer patients in Cornwall had to travel to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth for scans and treatments.

Senior radiographer Nikki Snell said the new unit helped patients be calmer which aided the accuracy of their treatment.

She said: "It's a nice, open, airy department which makes people feel more relaxed than where it used to be in a basement."

Savvas Rizkalla, head of radiotherapy physics at RCHT, said the Sunrise Appeal had made an "absolutely huge difference" to cancer patients.

He said: "We've been able to build an entirely new radiotherapy centre with state of the art equipment treating absolutely everything using our own staff and the latest technology and delivering the best care."

Ms Shephard said in recent years the Sunrise Appeal had funded several important projects, including the introduction of Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT).

This treatment enables greater accuracy across a range of sites, including breast, lung and pelvis, which means patients are no longer left with permanent tattoos, she explained.

In 2001 more than £600,000 was raised by BBC Radio Cornwall's listeners for the Sunrise Appeal.

The radio station had asked the community to stick a pound coin on to a card and send it to the Truro radio base.

BBC Radio Cornwall executive producer Daphne Skinnard said the team had been "astonished" at the response.

She said: "We thought if the population in Cornwall gave £1 each we would reach our target in a day.

"It was a true privilege to bring Cornwall together to raise funds in all sorts of different ways and bring the spirit of togetherness in focusing on such an important resource for patients in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."

The Sunrise Appeal will celebrate its anniversary with an event for supporters, volunteers and key figures from the charity's history at the Alverton Hotel, Truro on Thursday.