Cancer patient’s home purchase helps scheme to raise funds for new treatment centre hit £50,000

A cancer patient from Cheshire has helped mark a major milestone in a fundraising drive for a new state-of-the-art cancer centre in Macclesfield by moving into his new home.

Richard Fox recently moved into the house in Congleton built by family run construction firm, Seddon, which took its pledge to raise money for The Christie charity’s Macclesfield appeal to £50,000.

Bolton based Seddon announced on World Cancer Day (February 4) that it will donate £250 for every new house it sells until the end of 2022 with the aim of selling nearly 700 homes nationwide to raise an incredible £175,000 for the new centre which is due to open in December.

Richard, 72, was treated for a melanoma at The Christie in May of this year having been diagnosed with the cancer in his upper arm in December last year.

He has previously been treated for a melanoma 10 years ago and his first wife Patricia was treated at The Christie for breast cancer for four years, before sadly passing away in 1993 at the age of just 45.

Richard, who lives with his wife Sheila, said: “I’m delighted that Seddon is backing the Christie at Macclesfield centre as to have such great care closer to home is a real bonus for patients in the area.

“I know just how important having the right cancer care is, and I’ve been lucky enough to be treated at The Christie and am recovering well.

“The Christie is very dear to me as they have saved my life and despite being diagnosed in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic I was referred and seen by The Christie within three weeks.

“To be able to have bought a house that in some way helps more people receive Christie care closer to home is great, and I cannot wait for the centre to open.

Richard, who is a father to Roger and Adele and stepfather to Jane and Andrew, added: “So many people are affected by cancer and The Christie is such a vital place for treatment across the region.

“My step-daughter is also being treated for breast cancer for the second time so it really is something that touches all of us. To be able to bring such amazing care and treatments to more people is wonderful.”

When the new centre opens in Macclesfield later this year it will treat around 1,500 existing cancer patients each year and provide around 46,000 appointments. The new centre will provide a range of holistic services including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and a wider range of clinical trials than at present.

The Seddon family know all too well how important the work of The Christie is, with two family members receiving treatment at the specialist cancer hospital.

The late Christopher Seddon (MBE) was treated at The Christie for lung cancer from 2013 to 2015. In 2019, his daughter, Nicola, was diagnosed with breast cancer and started treatment there.

Nicola began her treatment at The Christie in February 2019, and over a seven-month period underwent chemotherapy and targeted therapy, followed by surgery and further radiotherapy. In September that same year, she was declared cancer-free.  

Nicola Hodkinson, director at Seddon and former Christie patient, said: “We are so pleased that our home buyers can get involved with fundraising for The Christie at Macclesfield in this way.

“Not only do we have the feel-good factor of doing this at Seddon as a company but the home buyers also feel that is a really positive initiative and have got behind it. It’s about who we are and doing something bigger than ourselves.”

Anna McIntosh from The Christie charity said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the support from Seddon and they are so supportive of our vision to bring The Christie cancer centre to Macclesfield. This is a wonderful initiative and we are truly grateful to Seddon and their home buyers.”

Seddon began supporting The Christie charity in 1997 when, as part of Seddon’s centenary celebrations, staff raised many thousands of pounds that helped to fund two operating theatres.

The partnership developed further in 2009/2010 when Seddon became a Christie charity corporate partner and raised more than £400k towards a revolutionary treatment called radioimmunotherapy or ‘Magic Bullet’ – a treatment that blasts tumours with radioactive material. During these two years, Seddon staff ran, cycled, swam and walked hundreds of miles in teambuilding and fundraising events.

In 2017, Seddon committed to a further two-year fundraising partnership by making The Christie its Charity of Choice, with all national fundraising initiatives supporting the charity.

Over the years the company has raised an incredible £875,000 and helped fund a wide variety of projects and contributed to the development of a range of pioneering treatments and valuable cancer research, including proton beam therapy research. 

The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds. This includes money for care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services. Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust was the first specialist trust to be rated as ‘Outstanding’ twice (in 2016 and 2018) by the health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It referred to The Christie as ‘a leader in cancer care’ and ‘a pioneer in developing innovative solutions to cancer care.’ The CQC praised the Trust’s staff which it said ‘go the extra mile to meet the needs of patients and their families’ and that they were ‘exceptionally kind and caring.’ In 2017, the CQC rated The Christie as the best specialist trust in the country, and one of the top three trusts overall in England. 

The Christie charity needs to raise £23m for the new centre. To support The Christie at Macclesfield go to:

www.christies.org/macclesfield

or call our team on 0161 446 3988.

Pictured - Richard Fox recently moved into the house in Congleton built by family run construction firm, Seddon.