An evening dedicated to Scotland’s favourite poet proved to be a hit fundraising event this weekend!

Our supporters do wonderful things to help our two hospitals and their patients, and last Saturday was no exception. More than 150 people came to Oxford for our Burns Night Ceilidh – an evening themed around Scotland including, of course, haggis. So many people helped and gave their time and expertise to make it a great success. 

Thank you to charity supporters Nicky and Nev Creed, who secured the superb venue for us, to the piper, the caller, the band and all the volunteers who helped to make the evening so special. All funds raised will go to create a peaceful garden for patients, families and staff at Harefield. It was a new venture in a new location for the Charity, and judging by how much everyone enjoyed the evening, it certainly paid off. Thank you to everyone who made it such a success – we’ll update you with the total raised when we know in our news section.

As I type, work is about to begin to create a brand new heart procedure theatre, called a catheter laboratory, at Royal Brompton. We have launched a special appeal – called #ManyMoreHearts – to help fund the state-of-the-art equipment, including a brand new scanner, that will live in the theatre.

Click here for lots more information. Thank you to those of you who have already started to support this appeal.

I learn new things all the time in this job, and I am getting to understand how much scanners are used instead of x-rays in diagnoses. So, I’m particularly excited that one of our main ambitions for the appeal is to buy what’s known as an Artis One Scanner, which will take superb, high-resolution images in an instant. 

To support our appeals, my daughter, like many other keen runners, has just signed up to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon on Sunday 14 October. We have 50 places for this year’s popular iconic event, which takes in some of the most beautiful green parts of London. So, if you or someone you know is looking for something to work towards, why not have a chat with our fundraisers who can tell you more? Contact them at 020 7351 8866 or email [email protected]. We hope to have lots of runners – fast and not so fast. Remember, it's a challenge not a race. We’ll be there at the finish line to say thank you!