Buildings and monuments around Cheltenham are turning pink, to support a campaign for a state-of-the-art 3D breast cancer screening machine for the people of Gloucestershire.
Started by local charity Cobalt, the fundraising effort aims to raise the remaining £123,000 needed to fund the machine, which will then be gifted to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It will be used within Cheltenham’s Thirlestaine Breast Centre to help screen women from around the county.
Set to be the first of its kind in Gloucestershire, the 3D mammography equipment will provide clearer 3D pictures of the whole breast, similar to a hologram. It has a curved compression surface, which follows the shape of the breast, making testing more comfortable for women, while also providing the chance of a more accurate diagnosis of early breast cancer.
To help publicise the campaign, prominent places in the town will be lighting up pink, with the Neptune Fountain, Hotel Du Vin, Bertie Bones, and Cheltenham’s Holst Sculpture in Imperial Gardens already scheduled to be involved.
Cobalt welcomes enquiries from other local businesses and iconic sites to get involved as the campaign progresses. What’s more, the charity is also looking for individuals to become charity ambassadors within the community, to help raise awareness of this important appeal.
Almost 30,000 screening mammograms are taken at the Thirlestaine Breast Centre each year, while 125 symptomatic patients are seen each week. It’s hoped that the introduction of this revolutionary machine will help to reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer, by helping to spot the symptoms early on.
Julia Jenkins, head of fundraising at Cobalt, said: ‘We have supported breast cancer services since the screening programme was launched in 1990, almost thirty years ago.
‘Cobalt wants to provide patients with the best possible chance of early diagnosis and using technology like this will enable more effective treatment and ultimately save lives.’
For more information, local businesses are asked to contact Cobalt’s fundraising team on 01242 535922 or visit cobalthealth.co.uk directly.
If you are interested in being a charity ambassador, email fundraising@cobalthealth.co.uk.
