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Supporting the James Cook University Hospital Cardiothoracic Unit.
Registered Charity No. 1051565

Charity Raffle - drawn June 2010

The charity raffle was drawn at the June meeting of the SCHF Committee. Winners were invited along to the SCHF Stall the following Tuesday to receive their prizes from the SCHF Chairman Dr Adrian Davies.

The SCHF Committee would like to thank Mrs Duncan; winner of the 1st prize, who found a buyer for the Seiko Man's Automatic Watch and generously presented a cheque to the SCHF from the proceeds. Our grateful thanks also to everyone else who helped and supported the raffle, helping to raise a fantastic £959. The winners can be viewed here.

Cashing in for Heart Patients

The South Cleveland Heart Fund has received another welcome donation in loving memory of patient, Patrick 'Paddy' Murphy. Thanks to Patrick's son, Ian Murphy, who works for Cape - a subcontractor for Sabic Petrochemical UK on the ICI Wilton international site and his colleagues, the fund has received a £500 boost.
Throughout each year Sabic offers its employees the opportunity to nominate a charity to receive a donation through a special 'scrap metal' fund. Excess metal is cashed in and employees choose who they would like the money to go to. Ian and his family were so impressed with the care Patrick received on the coronary care unit at James Cook he recommended the heart fund to say thank you.
Ian said: "We thought the care and attention my father received over the last few years on the coronary care unit was excellent and we would like to thank Dr Adrian Davies and all the consultants and dedicated staff for their help and support."
Dr Adrian Davies, consultant cardiologist at James Cook and South Cleveland Heart Fund chairman said: "We would like to say a big thank you to Ian and everyone at Sabic for this generous donation."

Local Cardiologist Taken Hostage

Star Wars descended on Linthorpe Community Centre when members of the Rebel Legion UK - characters from Star Wars who raise money for charity - were the star attraction at SCHF's autumn fayre. They caused quite a stir and young and old alike flocked to have their photo taken with them and take advantage of the many bargains on sale which included gifts, tombola, cakes, groceries, crafts, books, jewellery and bric-a-brac.
The event was a huge success raising over £650 to help the SCHF in it's role supporting and helping the regional cardiothoracic centre at James Cook to stay at the forefront of medical technology by buying much needed equipment and supporting doctors and nurses education and research.
A big thank you goes to all the helpers on the day, everyone who donated prizes, baked cakes and provided bric-a-brac etc for the stalls and all who came along to support the heart fund. A special thanks to the Rebel Legion for helping to make the event such a success.
Consultant cardiologist at James Cook, Dr Adrian Davies, chairman of the South Cleveland Heart Fund joined in the fun and was taken hostage.

Stepping out for heart patients.

Patient Fred Clements has put his best foot forward for South Cleveland Heart Fund.
Fred, who was treated for atrial fibrillation - a heart rhythm disorder caused by a problem in the conduction of electrical impulses in the upper chambers, or atria, of the heart - decided to do a sponsored run from Clay Bank to Osmotherley to raise money for the charity.
His 15 mile trek in June raised £995 - boosted by a further £1,000 from his employers Laing O'Rourke - which was roughly divided between South Cleveland Heart Fund and the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.
Fred said,"I was looked after so well by the staff and really appreciated the care I received at James Cook. One of the other joiners had his son treated in Newcastle so with the company's support we decided it should go to both. "I was going to do the run on my own but one of the bosses from Sillars said he would run with me for support, so there was the two of us."

Fred returned to James Cook to hand over a £1,000 cheque to consultant cardiologist Adrian Davies,who is the chairman of South Cleveland Heart Fund. Dr Davies said: "This is a fantastic amount of money and I'd like to say thank you to Fred and Laing O'Rourke. All monies raised are used to purchase items and equipment that will benefit the patients admitted to the heart unit and they are always gratefully received."

Hearts of Gold

Golden wedding couple Peter and Vera Rutter really do have hearts of gold. The caring couple asked family and friends helping them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary at Guisborough Rugby Club for donations instead of presents and, thanks to their generous contributions, the cardiothoracic unit at James Cook has received £860 to help future heart patients.
Peter, a heart patient since 1981, wanted to thank consultant cardiologist, Dr Nick Linker and the dedicated staff on the cardiothoracic unit for looking after him so well over the years. Peter would also like to say a special thank you to sister Sue Connolly for all her help and support.

Peter and Vera came along with members of their family, to hand over the cheque to delighted South Cleveland Heart Fund chairman and consultant cardiologist Dr Adrian Davies and staff from the unit. Dr Davies said: "We would like to thank Peter and Vera for giving up their anniversary presents to help us, which is very generous of them. We are always very grateful for donations, which we put to good use to benefit patients by improving facilities and providing equipment for the heart unit, helping to keep it at the leading edge of treatment."

Heartfelt donation in loving memory.

Future heart patients at James Cook will benefit from a donation in loving memory of Anthony Ford.
Mr Ford, who sadly passed away recently, was previously a patient at the heart unit at the hospital. Thanks to donations given at his funeral, The South Cleveland Heart Fund has received a fantastic £910.

His wife Ansia Ford visited the hospital with their daughter, Penny, to hand over the cheque to chairman, Adrian Davies, he said: "We are extremely grateful for this kind donation and much appreciate everyone's generosity at such a sad time. The money will be used to help to keep us at the forefront of advances in cardiology and heart services."

All heart...

Heart patients are benefiting from a vital piece of medical equipment - thanks to the generosity of the Old Guisborian Lodge. Members raised £4,000 for South Cleveland Heart Fund - £2,000 of which was match-funded by the Provincial Grand Charity - paying for an ECG machine on ward 29 at James Cook. Their fundraising efforts, which included band nights, barbecues and casino nights, were prompted after Lodge member Dave Wilson had a pacemaker fitted at the hospital.
Charity steward Martin Eggermont said: "Dave was brought into the hospital with heart trouble and received excellent treatment so the Lodge set off to raise as much money as possible for the ward, which was then match-funded." Dave added, "The staff on the ward are lovely. They couldn't do more for you and do a terrific job with the patients they look after. I'm really grateful for what they did for me and am glad we could help out in some way."

An ECG machine is the most commonly performed cardiac test, helping with the diagnosis of heart conditions and members of the Lodge visited the hospital to view their purchase.
Ward manager Amy Oxley said, "We're really grateful to the Lodge as the machine is a really welcome and helpful addition to the ward." Chairman of South Cleveland Heart Fund, Adrian Davies, added:�We're always very grateful for the generous donations we receive as they help to keep us at the forefront of advances in cardiology and heart services.

Generous Donation

SCHF have received a cheque for £500 from Mrs Patricia Ann Murphy in memory of her husband Paddy Murphy who died on 11th Jan 2008. The £500 is from donations and collections in lieu of flowers. Received with thanks.

Hearts of Gold

Golden wedding couple John and Dorothy Raw really do have hearts of gold.
The couple kindly asked family and friends for donations to be made to the South Cleveland Heart Fund instead of receiving gifts.
They wanted to give something back and say thank you for the care and attention received by John when he was a patient.
They paid a visit to James Cook to hand over a cheque for £1,025 to a delighted heart fund chairman and consultant cardiologist Dr Adrian Davies.
Dr Davies said: ”We would like to thank John and Dorothy for giving up their anniversary presents to help us which is very generous of them. We are always very grateful for donations, which we put to good use to benefit patients by improving facilities and providing equipment for the heart unit, helping to keep it at the leading edge of treatment.”

Heart warming

A fun charity night raised £622 for local heart patients thanks to Chintz Hair Salon in Middlesbrough.
Salon owner, Sylvia Dennison, organised the event at the Marton Hotel and Country Club generously donating half the proceeds to the South Cleveland Heart Fund after one of her clients - who is a volunteer on the committee - mentioned they were looking for people to help with fundraising.
Over 50 different events kept everyone entertained during the evening, including hair and fashion shows, performances by bands, dancers and artists, displays, a raffle and much much more. A good time was had by all and a big thank you to everyone who supported the event and worked hard to make the evening such a success. Vice chairman, Jean Reeve said: “It was a very successful and enjoyable evening and we would like to thank Sylvia and everyone for their efforts on our behalf. The money will be used to benefit patients at the heart unit at James Cook”

Kevin's all heart

Truck driver Kevin Bostock has gone that extra mile to raise money for charity a year after having a heart attack. Kevin, aged 44, from Trimdon village, completed an epic sponsored bike ride to thank the doctors and staff at the JCUH for nursing him back to health.

He courageously completed the 140 mile coast to coast cycle ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland in two and a half days raising £840 in the process thanks to the generous people who sponsored him. The money raised has been donated to the South Cleveland Heart Fund. Kevin said: "While I was recovering in the hospital I read about the coast to coast bike ride and I made up my mind to do it myself when I was well enough. The heart attack was a real fright but probably the best thing that could have happened to me as it has kick started a new lifestyle. I wanted to raise the money for the hospital and to help other people who might need it in the future and to inspire others in my shoes that life still goes on."
Consultant cardiologist Dr Douglas Muir who treated him said: "We are extremely grateful to Kevin for generously donating this fantastic amount to the hospital to help future patients. It is wonderful to see him well, enjoying his cycling, keeping fit and living life to the full. He is an inspiration to other patients and we wish him well."

Heart felt support

Volunteers from the South Cleveland Heart Fund joined other health professionals at the opening of McGuire's Chemists Shop in Marton by Middlesbrough footballer Franck Queudrue.

Fantastic fundraising effort benefits heart patients.

The South Cleveland Heart Fund has handed over a £100,000 state of the art piece of medical equipment to the electrophysiology department at the JCUH.

The Navex machine is a high tech imaging device which shows the inside of the heart during electrophysiology procedures allowing greater accuracy than ever before in the positioning of catheters in the heart during ablation procedures. It also reduces the need to use x-rays. It will enhance the treatment offered to heart patients with a rhythm disturbance at the department in the cardiothoracic unit. Chairman of the Heart Fund, Dr Adrian Davies said: "We are delighted to be able to provide this revolutionary piece of equipment for the electrophysiology department. It is a tribute to the hard work and continued fund raising efforts of all our volunteers and the great generosity of the people of Teeside. This will really benefit heart patients coming to our unit and is a positive development to keep us at the leading edge of treatment. It is exactly what the fund was set up for and why we need continuing support."

• Did you know...
  more than 270,000 people in the UK have a heart attack each year, and about half are fatal?
• Did you know...
  that quitting smoking can reduce your risk of heart disease by half?
• Did you know...
  63% of women and 56% of men in the UK are not doing enough physical activity to see any health benefits?
• Did you know...
  that lowering your blood pressure can reduce the risk of a heart attack?
• Did you know...
  that the human heart is about the size of a fist while the heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car?
• Where does your money go?
  View a list of recent purchases here.