The Annandale Young Farmers Club, with help from Tinwald Parish Hall Committee, has made a donation to fund an End of Treatment Bell for the oncology unit at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, as well as commissioned artworks to add to its existing collection.
Steven Paterson, Vice Chair of the club, made a request for the club’s annual good cause fundraiser to be carried out for the unit. He wanted to show his and his family’s appreciation to the staff there for caring for his mum when she was diagnosed with cancer and throughout treatment.
The sum of £957 was donated to the NHS Dumfries and Galloway Endowment Fund in support of the oncology unit and Steven and mum Amanda are delighted this has made sponsoring an End of Treatment Bell possible, and that further art works can be added.
Anne Bain, Nurse Manager Oncology, NHS Dumfries & Galloway, said:
“We would like to thank the groups for their generosity to the oncology unit. We are delighted that this donation has allowed us to sponsor an End of Treatment Bell. Patients can experience a range of emotions when they complete their treatment and ringing the bell allows them to mark this milestone.
“We are also looking forward to being involved in the selection of more artwork to complement the existing collection to enhance the department for our patients and their relatives / carers.”
Amanda gathered with family, friends and representatives from the club and committee this summer to ring the bell for the first time.
The End of Treatment Bell charity was founded in 2014 by a UK couple whose daughter had travelled to a hospital in Oklahoma, USA for treatment. She was shown the hospital’s End of Treatment Bell and rang it before returning home. The charity has since placed over 260 bells in hospitals and treatment centres in the UK and worldwide.
