A talent show fundraiser organised by a cancer patient has helped to secure new scalp cooling machines for the Victoria Unit of Royal Oldham Hospital.
The machines are designed to reduce or prevent hair loss, a side effect of chemotherapy.
Co-organiser Julie Flanagan says that she hoped that the night, which helped to raise nearly £7,000, left a lasting impression on everyone.
The one-off "Cancer’s Got Talent" show was held on Friday evening at Blue Tiffin, providing an evening of music and comedy, and raising more than £2,000 on JustGiving – with donations still welcomed.
Blue Tiffin, which made it to the finals of last year’s British Curry Awards, also donated an additional £450, with Pat McQuillan of McQuillan Boilers donating another £3,000.
All performances at the talent show were delivered by those living with cancer.
The evening, attended by more than 100 people, started with a short video setting out the cause and songs from singing sensation Stefanie Ectkart, a drama teacher at Hulme Grammar School, followed by a meal.
Julie’s band, The Three Birds, then performed, followed by brother Jimmy Melia’s band Quaver Tooth.
She added: “I turned up to my first chemo guitar in hand fancying a jam session there and, because I had really thick hair, they said put this thing on your head, it freezes your scalp, it stops your hair from falling out as much.
“I have had three chemotherapy sessions so far and still got quite a bit of hair. You do have to have it tight on your head – it is a really marvellous invention and makes a difference.
“It has raised money for a worthy cause.
“As we know how important the scalp cooling machines are to help hair loss during some kinds of chemotherapy, and additional facilities will help the team go above and beyond for their patients.
“We raised nearly £7,000 around the event which from a standing start is amazing.
“Apart from the ticket sales, we had a very generous donation of £3,000 from Pat McQuillan of McQuillan Boilers in Middleton, 57 people kindly supported our Just Giving page where we raised over £2,000, the Blue Tiffin very generously gave us a cheque for £450, and we also held a raffle and bucket donation.”
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