Dancing and Elvis impressions help fund new cancer unit

Walking, cycling, dancing and even Elvis impersonations have raised enough funds to open a new cancer unit.

The £3m Leri Cancer Unit at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth has been funded primarily by charitable income.

The Bronglais Chemo Appeal was launched by Hywel Dda Health Charities in 2021 to raise the final £500,000 needed for construction to start.

The first patients are expected to receive treatment on the unit on Monday, which has doubled in floor space of the old facility.

There has been a chemotherapy unit at Bronglais Hospital for more than 30 years but this is the first time the hospital will have a dedicated specialist unit.

Jeremy Turner, who is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment at Bronglais, said: "This unit is only five minutes from my home but it's not a case of popping in once every three weeks for chemotherapy, the care is constant and very, very careful.

"Having to travel further would certainly have an impact, especially on my family.

"I haven't been to the new unit yet, but the current unit is in some sort of porter cabin.

"The nurses are working under very restrictive, cramped conditions. It will hopefully make their work much, much easier.

"We tend to think of big operations and medicines in the big cities but it's just as important to have it in rural areas. It's vital that as full of a service as possible is protected and kept in mid Wales."

Dr Elin Jones, a consultant oncologist at Bronglais, said when she started in 2004 treatment was given in a room off the oncology ward.

"It was very cramped, it was not fit for purpose," she said.

"There was a very determined push by staff to really realise this dream, but it's only been done because of the force, of the will of the communities that we serve.

"The fundraising that has gone on over the years has been overwhelming."

She said the NHS's finite budget meant, as cancer patients were receiving treatment at the hospital, it may have been "another 10 or 15 years down the line" before funding became available to make the upgrade paid for by the public.

"If you want to get things done, you actually ask the public for their help, and my goodness, have they supported us," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"They've been absolutely breathtakingly generous and amazing."

Megan Jones Roberts, from Aberystwyth, who has so far undergone 21 rounds of cancer treatment at Bronglais Hospital, said the new unit was "beautiful" and had made a "world of difference".

And she paid tribute to Dr Jones, calling her a "champion" for her "hard work" in making the unit a reality.

Ms Roberts said she was "very, very fortunate" to have had treatment close to home with space limited, as she was aware of other patients having to go to Llanelli, Swansea and Cardiff for treatment.

She said the new unit meant eight rather than four patients could now receive treatment at the same time.

"It's truly fantastic to have this amenity on our doorstep," she said.

Peter Skitt from Hywel Dda health board said: "The opening of the Leri Cancer Unit marks a monumental achievement for our community.

"This facility stands as a testament to the incredible support and dedication of our local residents, whose efforts have made this a reality. We can't wait to share it with those who made it possible."

Work began in May 2024 and include a larger treatment area dedicated to patients, including an isolation facility, a reception, outpatient and waiting areas, and consultation and examination rooms. It officially opens on Saturday.