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John Addenbrooke Lecture inspires and drives meaningful changes in healthcare

This year’s John Addenbrooke Lecture provided an evening of insightful presentations, stimulating conversations, and the opportunity to be part of a community dedicated to making a difference.

The annual event saw an exceptional line up of speakers all of whom are leaders within their field:

Dr. Ken Poole, an esteemed Academic Consultant in Rheumatology and Metabolic Bone Disease, presented his latest findings that are transforming the approach to bone health and rheumatologic care. Professor Matthias Zilbauer, Clinical Professor of Paediatric Gastroenterology, shared his ground-breaking research and insights into children’s digestive health, and Sue Broster, Director of Innovation, Digital, and Improvement, discussed the innovative strategies and digital advancements driving improvement in healthcare delivery. 

Click below to watch a recording of the 2024 John Addenbrooke Lecture:

The lecture, which was held at Astra Zeneca’s imposing building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, was hailed a huge success by ACT’s Director of Communications and Impact, Paul White:

“We couldn’t have been prouder of ACT and its impact following the John Addenbrooke’s Lecture. For so many of our valued supporters to be there, listening to the extraordinary talks by some of the hospital’s leaders in research and innovation, really showcased what our charity – and our supporters – can, and do, achieve across Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.”

He continued: “To hear three remarkable individuals, who between them are changing the way we treat life-limiting conditions such as osteoarthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, and driving forward innovation that will go on to save and change countless lives, talk of how grateful they are to ACT and its supporters, and how their work has only been possible because of the people in that room, was a moment to really be proud of – and one which will motivate us to do even more going forward.”

If you would like to make a change today, and donate to ACT to help fund ground-breaking research and equipment within our hospitals, please click here. To here more about ACT’s activities sign up at the foot of our homepage.

Congratulations! Two of our fundraisers nominated for this year’s prestigious Pride of Britain Awards

A HUGE thank you and congratulations to two of our fundraisers who featured in a TV special as nominees for this year’s prestigious Pride of Britain Awards.

David Bateson, pictured here with medical oncology consultant Dr Brent O’Carrigan, and Joyce Cripps, pictured with transplant surgeon Andrew Butler, being filmed in the background, have fundraised tirelessly for Addenbrooke’s through Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT), the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, whose supporters raise funds to help make the hospitals even better by funding cutting-edge research, innovations and high-tech equipment, above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide.

Both were shortlisted for ITV Anglia’s Regional Fundraiser of the Year and although they weren’t selected to go through to the finals of Pride of Britain Awards later this year, we are incredibly proud of both of them for all their hard work and for sharing their personal stories to a wider audience.

David Bateson – who has raised £50,000 for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust after being treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital for cancer – shared his story on the ITV Anglia special.

The father of three, from Ampthill in Bedfordshire, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2019. David’s cancer returned twice but after surgery and treatment, followed by pioneering immunotherapy, David was given the news in January of this year that there was no trace of cancer left in his body.

Since his news, David has worked tirelessly to raise money for cancer services by fundraising for ACT and has raised a staggering £50,000 which will go to melanoma research and the £14 million public appeal to build the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus by 2029.

Explaining why he felt the need to continue fundraising for cancer research, David said: “The chances are I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for people researching and developing new drugs to fight cancer and I think the new cancer hospital planned for Cambridge is going to take that to another level.”

“For people going through cancer, my message would be, never give up hope. There is always hope and it is amazing what is being developed in terms of new cancer treatments.”

Joyce Cripps, our fundraiser from Bishop’s Stortford in East Hertfordshire, was nominated as regional fundraiser for Anglia East Region after spending over half her life fundraising for charities.

The retired carer and care manager, pictured here, started fundraising over 40 years ago after her daughter Julie’s primary school was damaged by fire. She went on to raise over £104,000 for various charities including Cancer Research, Marie Curie, The Willow Foundation which organizes special holidays for terminally ill patients and their families, local hospitals, Guide Dogs for the Blind, and The Little Princess Trust, which makes wigs for children with cancer.

However, it was after her daughter Julie underwent a lifesaving liver transplant at Addenbrooke’s six years ago that Joyce pledged to dedicate all her fundraising to liver transplant research by raising money for ACT.

Joyce’s fundraising total for Addenbrooke’s transplant services is set to top £25K by the end of this year which she has raised through tribute nights which she books throughout the year, organizing raffle donations and making all the room and table decorations by hand herself.

As part of her nomination, Joyce was filmed with her husband, John, and daughter Julie visiting the transplant unit to meet Andrew Butler, the surgeon who performed Julie’s lifesaving transplant.

Some of Joyce’s money has already been used to refurbish two staff and patient rooms in the unit as well as fund a single use of the Liver Perfusion Machine, pictured above, which ACT supporters raised £250,000 to buy. As part of filming for the special, Joyce and her family got to see the machine – which mimics the body to ensure a liver’s functionality before transplant and allows surgeons to ‘test drive’ livers for suitability before transplanting them.

“As a family, words are not enough to express our gratitude to that wonderful team who saved Julie’s life. Realizing the difference my fundraising has made to other patients’ lives means this tireless work will continue to my days’ end!” Joyce said.

“I have agreed to ongoing monies raised be used for transplant research thus enabling many more lives being saved.  Had it not been for past research Julie’s story would have been very different.”

As well as David and Joyce, another one of our fundraisers featured on the ITV Anglia special. Pig farmer Nathan Lister, from Redgrave, drove the length of Britain in a bright pink Citroen Picasso – referred to as his ‘Pigasso’ after he transformed it into a fundraising pig, complete with snout, tail, ears and eye lashes.

Nathan was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma at 22 and underwent 12 intense rounds of chemotherapy at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Now in remission, Nathan and his friends drove from John O’Groats in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall, raising more than £12,000 for Addenbrooke’s Hospital through ACT and Cancer Research UK, who were interviewed on the show.

Congratulating David and Joyce, who were both nominated for their fundraising for ACT, our charity’s Chief Executive Shelly Thake said:

“We are extremely proud of all our fundraisers. Each and every one of them put in hours and hours of their own time to help make our hospitals even better. In David and Joyce’s case, both have worked tirelessly to raise funds that will go into research to benefit future patients.

“Both took it upon themselves to fundraise for our hospitals at what was a very stressful time in their life – David, when he was still undergoing immunotherapy treatment and Joyce, whilst her daughter was still recovering from a major, lifesaving operation. Not only that, but they continue to fundraise as well as share some of the more private and challenging moments of their life in order to help raise awareness and support others going through a difficult time themselves.”

“Whilst they didn’t get through to the Pride of Britain finals later this year, they did incredibly well to be nominated for ITV Anglia’s Regional Fundraiser of the Year. They should be incredibly proud of all the awareness and hard work they put into their fundraising so we would like to extend a huge congratulations to both of them and thank them for everything they do on behalf of ACT.”

This year’s 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival raises a staggering £35k for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital

This year’s 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival blew fundraising expectations out of the water – with a staggering £35k raised for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH).

A total of 41 teams and over 600 competitors gathered along the riverbank at Fen Ditton for Saturday’s 18th Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival – paddling 30ft Dragon Boats up the river in glorious sunshine.

As well as the races, bankside entertainment brought the crowds in – with lion dances from the Cambridge Chinese Community and family-friendly entertainment provided by sponsors, Illumina (pictured below), with fun activities such as strawberry DNA extraction, dress like a scientist with a walk-through Cambridge DNA history, face painting and flag making.

We were there too – in a tent full of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust staff and volunteers, with donations to our raffle and hook a duck all helping to boost our £14 million public appeal for the new specialist cancer hospital.

Saturday’s electric event raised £35,000 and all funds will be used in support of the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH). The hospital, which will be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus by 2029, will bring together clinical and research expertise in a new, world-class hospital, designed in partnership with staff and patients. It will detect cancer earlier, treat it more precisely, and save more lives.

A special shout out to all the teams who competed to raise money for the new hospital – and to Cambridge 105 for supporting us on the day with live interviews and the Cambridge Independent who were taking photos on the day.

Teams travelled from outside the county to take part in Saturday’s Festival – with winners of the best dressed competition, Mosses Arc, travelling down from outside Chester to celebrate their friend Paul’s 50th birthday. Following a Noah’s Arc theme their outfits came two by two – with everything from flamingos to leopards, giant furry rats and chickens. We’re not sure how they managed to row in them – but they looked great!

Thank you also to the teams with multiple entries including TWI Ltd; Ring; AstraZeneca; Huawei Technologies; and the Railway Arms.

ACT’s Natasha Robertson, Corporate Partnerships Manager, hailed the festival a huge success and said: “It was such a fantastic day with an amazing atmosphere. It was lovely to meet all the teams and having the CCRH project team competing, as well as on their stand, meant that everyone who came – whether they were competing or coming to join in the fun – could see the direct impact they were having by helping to raise money for the new cancer hospital.

“We are absolutely delighted to have raised £35,000. It’s been our best festival yet!”

The overall winners were the Cosgrove Paddle Shifters

Lucy Morton, Executive Director from organisers NewWave Events, said: “The 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival was a complete success and the whole team at NewWave Events had a fantastic day with all the crews. The fundraising efforts resulted in a record-breaking amount being raised for ACT from this event and we’re eager to build on this further for 2025! Watch this space for more information about next year, with plans already starting we have lots of ideas and hopefully, we will be bringing the dragons back to the River Cam with a sell-out event for the 20th year!’

Mark Robinson, VP and General Manager, UK and Ireland, and Northern Europe, Illumina said: “lllumina had an incredible day as sponsors of the 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival to raise vital funds for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust to build a specialist cancer hospital in Cambridge. Seeing families, friends, and local businesses come together to support their teams provided an amazing atmosphere for the day and made it extra special.”

Elaine Chapman, Lead Advisory Nurse for CCRH, joined the CCRH project team in their boat and said: “We were absolutely delighted to take to the waters to raise money for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. It was my third time in a race crew and probably the best event yet!”

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support such an amazing cause which has led to an incredible £35K raised for our future facility, that is bringing world-leading research and clinical excellence together, to change the lives of cancer patients across the UK and beyond.”

“We’re involving patients and staff at every stage of our project, so it was incredibly fun and rewarding to have our patients with us racing on the River Cam for CCRH.”

ACT would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all the teams taking part on the day. We hope to see you return next year for an even bigger, better festival with funds from next year’s festival again going towards our £14 million public appeal to help build the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

Click here if you would like to donate to Cancer services at Addenbrooke’s and the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

Email our friendly fundraising team and find out what you can do to support our hospitals.

ACT calls on runners in 2025 TTP Cambridge Half Marathon to run for new specialist cancer hospital

A leading hospital charity is calling on runners in the 2025 TTP Cambridge Half Marathon to join forces to boost its multi-million pound campaign to see a new world-class cancer hospital built in the city by 2029.

The Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH) is to be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and will be the first specialist cancer hospital for the East of England. It will bring together clinical and research expertise under one roof – allowing clinicians to detect cancer earlier, treat it more precisely and save more lives.

As the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) has launched two major capital campaigns to build two ‘firsts’ for the region – the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and the Cambridge Children’s Hospital.

Money raised by ACT supporters in the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon 2025 will help boost the charity’s £14 million public appeal to help build the new specialist cancer hospital, whose pioneering research is expected to have a far-reaching impact not just regionally, but nationally and globally too.

“We would love anyone who secures a ballot place in next year’s TTP Cambridge Half Marathon to choose ACT as their official charity. By doing so they will play a pivotal role in raising funds to help build what will be an amazing, world-leading cancer specialist hospital, the first of its kind in the Eastern region,” said Rebecca Beattie, Community Fundraising Manager at ACT. “So, calling all runners – come and join #TeamAddenbrookes!”

Places for next year’s half marathon on Sunday 9 March go live on the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon website on Friday 23 August, and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

However, if you haven’t secured a TTP Cambridge Half Marathon place, ACT has a number of charity places available for next year’s half marathon, with 2025 seeing the highest number of entries to date, rising from 4 in 2022 to 150 in 2025.
Register for your charity place now.

“It really is an amazing event to be part of and for all our runners to be raising money for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital really does make the atmosphere on the day very special,” Rebecca said.

Any runners who are lucky enough to secure their own place in the half marathon can join #TeamAddenbrookes by contacting ACT at: fundraising@act4addenbrookes.org.uk. Entrants will receive the same support package as ACT’s own charity runners. 

Ella Hamilton, from TTP Cambridge Half Marathon, said: “We are looking forward to entries becoming available for next year’s event, we predict this to be our fastest sell out yet! We are pleased to be supporting such an amazing array of charities, including Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust which has launched the public appeal for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. The local community is really supportive of the half marathon so there’s always a really great atmosphere on the day – not just for runners but spectators too.’

Ilse Patterson, Lead R&D MR Radiographer at Addenbrooke’s

The TTP Cambridge Half Marathon starts at Jesus Green in the centre of Cambridge. It then takes runners to the outskirts of Cambridge along some of the busiest roads which will be closed on the day of the race. Runners then pass over the river, through Kings College, Queens College and past Corpus Christi College before entering the beautiful village of Grantchester. In the final leg, runners will be taken through the stunning grounds of Jesus College before finishing back at Jesus Green with an electric welcome from spectators at what is always a popular event in the city’s calendar.

Ilse Patterson, Lead R&D MR Radiographer at Addenbrooke’s (pictured right), said she will be entering for the second time next year. “I decided to attempt the Cambridge Half Marathon in 2024 and absolutely loved it first time around so have decided to enter again for 2025 and run to make a difference – so have chosen to run for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust. ACT really impacts not just on our patients across Addenbrooke’s, but also staff members too and as an employee of the hospital this makes a huge difference. I am patiently waiting for entries to open so I can apply again for next year!”

Launch of ‘My Thank You’ campaign gives Addenbrooke’s patients chance to thank NHS staff directly

A new campaign allowing Addenbrooke’s patients to send messages of thanks direct to NHS staff who care for them has been launched as part of an eight-week trial.

The ‘My Thank You’ campaign is the first of its kind in the East of England and, for the first time ever, allows grateful patients, as well as family and friends to send messages of thanks directly to a member of staff who has made a real difference to their stay in the hospital by providing them with exceptional care and support. This could be anyone from a member of the security team to porters, administrators and clinical teams including nursing staff and surgeons.  

Messages of thanks can be left for a particular member, or members of staff, who have helped deliver exceptional care and support for patients by simply scanning a QR code displayed on My Thank You posters which have been distributed across the Addenbrooke’s and Rosie sites, both part of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 

Alternatively, patients can text the words THANKS ACT to 84901. 

Patients complete an online form where they can enter their message of thanks together with the area or speciality it relates to, along with the member of staff’s name, if they can recall it.  

Once the form is complete, patients are then asked if they would be happy to spread the word on their social media accounts to encourage friends and family to send their own messages of thanks. They will also be given the option of connecting to the hospital charity if they choose. 

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) launched the My Thank You campaign in early August. As the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, its supporters raise funds to help make the hospitals even better by funding cutting-edge research, innovations and high-tech equipment, above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide.  

ACT’s Chief Executive Shelly Thake welcomed the campaign and said: “We hope My Thank You will see lots of lovely messages of thanks that we can use to brighten the day of all the wonderful staff in the hospital.” 

“We know that everything our supporters do to help make our hospitals even better, is a way for them to be able to give back and say a special thank you to staff by providing funding for ground-breaking research and high-tech equipment which they know will have a huge impact on their lives. To be able to add words to their thanks now too makes it even more special.” 

“Being able to give back financially is one thing but My Thank You takes this concept of patients wanting to give back one step further and allows them to send a very real, heartfelt message of thanks direct to the member, or members of staff, who cared for them during their stay.” 

“Knowing that staff often go through some very personal, often traumatic situations with patients on a daily basis we believe this campaign will generate a huge response from patients and we very much look forward to seeing, and sharing, all the messages that are sent through.” 

Staff welcome ‘My Thank You’ campaign

The My Thank You campaign was welcomed by the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Clinical Education Team. 

Clinical Education Facilitator Waliu Jawula Salisu, said: “The campaign is a brilliant opportunity for patients and service users to express their gratitude to our hardworking staff. They invest so much emotion and energy into looking after our patients and I think this would be a brilliant opportunity to say thank you to them, which they will appreciate so much.”  

Colleague Emma Le Brun added: “It’s also a fantastic opportunity for colleagues to say thank you to each other. We all work in such a busy and stressful environment, a simple thank you could make someone’s day and make them feel a lot more appreciated in a clinical environment.” 

Former patients and her family welcome ‘My Thank You’ campaign

Retired carer Joyce Cripps, 77, started fundraising for Addenbrooke’s transplant services, through ACT, six years ago after her daughter Julie Halls underwent an emergency, lifesaving liver transplant after her organs failed after she contracted sepsis and pneumonia.  

Julie was given just two weeks to survive without a transplant and Joyce said that after the transplant team at Addenbrooke’s saved her daughter’s life, she will never give up fundraising for Addenbrooke’s. 

“As a family we are truly grateful, we always will be, to the wonderful surgical team and all the staff that really gave Julie a chance of life and for us to save her.” 

For Julie, getting to meet the surgeon who saved her life was a very emotional moment – “Having the chance to say thank you to Andrew Butler in person was just amazing.” (seen here, in picture)

Both mum and daughter, from Bishop’s Stortford, say the campaign, where patients and families will have the chance to thank every member of the hospital staff team that care for them, is a fantastic idea. Both women remember different members of staff who supported them through Julie’s lifesaving operation. 

Joyce said: “I can honestly say the staff in the hospital were brilliant. The day of Julie’s operation when we arrived to be told that the organ would be arriving later that day, the co-ordinator Michael Hope was absolutely amazing, the way he looked after me and Julie’s husband Paul. Julie was very distressed and very frightened at the thought of what was ahead of her so Michael put Julie’s mind at rest and asked Julie why she was frightened. She asked him if she was going to die and he said, ‘Julie, when my car breaks down, it goes into a garage that I trust and the car comes out at the end of the day all repaired and that is what we are going to do for you. That is not our goal today for you to die.” 

As for Julie, she remembers lots of people from her stay at Addenbrooke’s. “I can honestly say that my stay in Addenbrooke’s was one of the best times of my life because of the wonderful staff that were so kind and caring, even down to the lady who served my breakfast. Her name was Fran and I still remember her smiley face.” 

Say thank you to a member of hospital staff now.

One year on – and over 500 patients have benefitted from YOUR donations to a £1.5 million appeal to buy a new surgical robot for Addenbrooke’s

A year after our amazing ACT supporters raised a staggering £1.5 million to buy a new surgical robot for Addenbrooke’s we can reveal just how much impact the robot has had across a wide range of specialities. 

Addenbrooke’s three surgical robots have helped specialists carry out nearly 540 lifesaving or life-altering operations in the last 12 months. 

Importantly, the robots enabled patients to recover faster from surgery, and allowed them to go home in hours or days – rather than weeks. 

They have helped with a wide range of conditions, cut waiting lists and fuelled ambitions for a fourth robot, which would make Addenbrooke’s one of the leading surgical centres in the UK. 

The success was outlined today (5 July) – a year to the day after the Trust’s second robot was unveiled following a £1.5m fundraising campaign by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT).  

ACT CEO, Shelly Thake, said: “It is important that all those who worked so hard to raise so much money are aware of just how impactful the robots have been for patients over the last 12 months. Once again, we want to thank them for their incredible support, this would not have been possible without them.” 

The da Vinci Xi dual console surgical system has revolutionised patient care and surgical training across six specialties – urology, gynae-oncology, gynaecology, colorectal, ENT (ear, nose and throat) and HPB (Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary – diseases of the liver, pancreas and biliary tree). 
 

Chair of CUH Robotic Surgery Steering Group (RUG), Mr Siong-Seng Liau, said: “It has been an incredible 12 months during which we have treated hundreds of patients for a multitude of different conditions using techniques that often allow them to go home more quickly, freeing up beds for other patients who urgently need them. 

“We are looking forward to the future with great confidence and, although it may be some way off, have ambitions to acquire a fourth robot and become the leading robotic surgical centre in the UK.” 

Consultant Colorectal and Robotic Surgeon, Dr Michael Powar, said: “The robotic platform that ACT supporters fundraised for offers enhanced precision, improved visualisation and greater dexterity when we perform surgery. We are seeing this translate to better patient outcomes with more patients having less invasive procedures, reduced pain and quicker recovery after surgery.” 

The unveiling at Addenbrooke’s Treatment Centre was memorable as the robot cut its own ribbon in front of guests, coinciding with a host of other celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. 

In addition to the £1.5 million raised by ACT supporters, we were able to use a legacy that had been left to the charity to purchase a dual console for the da Vinci Xi dual surgical system, allowing surgical trainees to gain hands-on experience of robotic-assisted surgery alongside an experienced surgeon. The legacy brought the total raised by ACT supporters overall to £2,022,270. We would like to thank those who generously supported the robot appeal over the last two years, in particular the Mark Benevolent Fund and the ALBORADA Trust. 

Our fund-raising campaign was so successful it enabled the hospital to lease a third CMR Surgical Versius robot, allowing surgical teams to add further upper gastrointestinal, benign gynaecological and colorectal specialities to the service. 

The two systems compliment Addenbrooke’s first robot, a Da Vinci Si, which was introduced over a decade ago to treat kidney, bladder, and prostate patients and was later upgraded to a Da Vinci Xi. 

The appeal ran over two years with support from the Cambridge Independent and many groups and individuals, including Addenbrooke’s surgeon, Atanu Pal, who took part in the virtual London Marathon in 2021, running a route that spelled out the word ROBOT. 
 
The Cambridgeshire Vintage Tractor Club also rallied more than 100 tractors to drive through South Cambridgeshire villages, and Frances Dewhurst challenged herself to walk up her stairs ten times a day for 100 days, in memory of her late sisters, Hilary and Charlotte.  

To find out more about fundraising for ACT, click here.

10-strong security team from Addenbrooke’s raise nearly £6,000 in charity skydive

Martyn Grass, who organised the skydive over Beccles Airfield with his colleague Mark, described the jump as “absolutely amazing,” adding: “It was so fast! We covered a mile and a half in ten seconds! The adrenaline when you land is like nothing you have felt before. We were literally all hugging at the end of it. Only one of the team was a bit off colour when they landed but all the security team were great.”

Martyn and his colleagues, who provide security across the whole of the Addenbrooke’s site, including the Accident and Emergency Department, completed the ACT challenge to raise money for young people suffering with mental health issues.

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals, and money raised by our supporters help make the hospitals even better by funding cutting-edge research, innovations and high-tech equipment, above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide.

Explaining why he wanted young people’s mental health to be the focus of their fundraising, Martyn said: “Working at the hospital is quite challenging for all the security officers dealing with paediatric mental health issues. Sometimes we have to deal with people trying to abscond, so it was important for us to try and raise money for young people with mental health issues to show our support.”

“When it comes to mental health, my saying is never look back. Always look forward. In mental health, each individual has a lot of stairs in front of them and it might be 5 to 10, or 10 to a 100, but every step will eventually get them to the top and they’ll be all right.”

Martyn was awarded a You Made a Difference Award by the hospital earlier this year praising him for the passion he puts into his work, saying: “Martyn is passionate about his role and giving the best service to patients, staff and visitors.”

The security officer, from Shepreth, was nominated for the award by a young woman who was admitted to A&E overnight in a distressed state.

“She was with a family member at the time who was very concerned about her. I sat down with her and chatted to her about her mental health and she wrote into the hospital thanking me for taking the time to speak to her. Apparently she is doing really well now.”

Apart from the skydive, Martyn’s JustGiving page – currently standing at £5,938 – is still being boosted by donations. He has organised a Prom Night Raffle for Year 11 pupils at a local secondary schools to win a ride to their prom in one of four prestige cars provided by Wallis and Son cars in Barton and A.G Motors in Papworth.

ACT’s Head of Fundraising, Donna Lee-Willis, said: “We are delighted that Martyn and his colleagues have been able to have fun while at the same time raising such an amazing amount of money for ACT that will benefit patients and staff across Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.”

Our charity has organised an exciting selection of fundraising challenges for anyone who would like to raise funds for the hospital. Find out more here. Alternatively, supporters can organise their own events.

Click here to donate to Martyn’s JustGiving page.