Open mornings designed to help alleviate anxiety among new radiotherapy patients by inviting them on an out-of-hours visit to Rosemere Cancer Centre’s Radiotherapy Department before they start their treatment will now run until the end of 2026.

Funding towards the open mornings, which are held on a Saturday every other month and which have helped more than 400 patients and their relatives since being first introduced just over two years ago, has been secured by Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which had been meeting their full cost.

The charity has now received £3,600 from the Friends of Chorley Hospital and a grant of £4,500 from the Medicash Foundation, the charitable arm of health insurance company Medicash, to help guarantee their future.

Radiotherapy practice educator Paul Attwood said: “We are extremely grateful to Rosemere Cancer Foundation and those who have donated the funds to enable us to continue our radiotherapy open mornings and the refreshments available on the day.

Trustees of the Friends of Chorley Hospital, Allison Gillett (left) and Enid Armstrong, who is also the group’s chair, present their donation to keep radiotherapy open mornings running to, from the left, Dan Hill, radiotherapy practice educator Shelley Shuttleworth, Macmillan Cancer Information & Support Service Assistant Cindy Moseley, Paul Attwood and therapeutic radiographer Grace Woods

placeholder image — Trustees of the Friends of Chorley Hospital, Allison Gillett (left) and Enid Armstrong, who is also the group’s chair, present their donation to keep radiotherapy open mornings running to, from the left, Dan Hill, radiotherapy practice educator Shelley Shuttleworth, Macmillan Cancer Information & Support Service Assistant Cindy Moseley, Paul Attwood and therapeutic radiographer Grace Woods

“The open mornings have supported over 400 patients and relatives and with this new funding, we are able to guarantee the service until the end of 2026, helping another 180 patients to be more informed, reassured and supported as they begin their treatment journey.”

Paul added: “The radiotherapy open mornings allow patients and patients, who may be having treatment in the future, an opportunity to see the department and the equipment it uses. It allows conversations to be taken at a slower pace. On the day, patients can ask questions on a one-to-one basis and can utilise the experience of the Macmillan team, which is on hand.

“Feedback that we have received on previous open mornings has always been very positive, with patients recommending attending an open day to anybody potentially undergoing radiotherapy treatment.”

Each open morning lasts for four hours with groups of up to a maximum of 10 patients and their relatives invited to attend for up to one hour at a time. They are taken on a guided tour, which includes going inside a treatment room for an engineer-led demonstration of how a LINAC (linear accelerator), which is the machine used to deliver radiotherapy treatment, works.

Chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation Dan Hill, who is also head of charities for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Rosemere Cancer Centre, said: “We are extremely grateful to the Friends of Chorley Hospital and the Medicash Foundation for sharing our belief in the open mornings.

“Being diagnosed with cancer is very frightening. Our aim through the open mornings is to take away a little bit of that fear by making radiotherapy less of an unknown.”

Dan added: “To open up the department out-of-hours, staff it with radiotherapists and engineers and provide refreshments costs £900 a time. As invaluable as the open mornings are, they are not something the NHS has the means to afford, which is why their funding comes down to us and our supporters.”

All patients referred to Rosemere Cancer Centre for radiotherapy will be given the opportunity to book on to an open morning. Places can also be reserved by telephoning 01772 522931.

Rosemere Cancer Foundation works to bring world class cancer treatments and services to cancer patients from throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria being treated at Rosemere Cancer Centre, which is the region’s specialist cancer treatment and radiotherapy centre at the Royal Preston Hospital, and also at another eight local hospital cancer units across the two counties.

The charity funds cutting-edge equipment, clinical research, staff training and innovative services and initiatives that the NHS cannot afford in order to make patients’ cancer journey more effective, comfortable and stress-free. For further information on its work, including how to make a donation, visit www.rosemere.org.uk