Closing cancer charity donates funds in final act

Dr Jackson's Cancer Fund has donated £142,000 to Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

A West Yorkshire cancer charity has donated £142,000 to a hospital trust following its closure.

Dr Jackson's Cancer Fund was established in 1977 to fund equipment for cancer patients in Pontefract, Dewsbury, and Wakefield.

However, it recently ceased operating due to a "lack of volunteers in key positions".

Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said the charity had been a "vital partner" and its generosity would continue to benefit its hospitals and patients.

"While the charity itself has now closed, the incredible support it has provided will live on," a spokesperson for the trust said.

"The £142,000 donation has been placed in a dedicated fund within MY Hospitals Charity in the name of Dr Jackson, where it will continue to support cancer services in line with the charity’s original mission."

In August, Dr Jackson's Cancer Fund also donated £20,000 to the Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract.

When asked about the closure chairman William Mulroe said: "It’s heartbreaking for me and everyone else involved but we’re very proud of everything the charity achieved."

Mr Mulroe said the charity had bought medical equipment worth £1.9m, including the first CT scanner in West Yorkshire, during its lifetime.

"For a small charity like ours, those are huge achievements and we’re delighted that the charity’s final act is to donate funds to some brilliant causes," he said.

Legacy gifts and those still wanting to make a donation would be honoured, the trust confirmed.

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