Competition raises £400 for WBTSG

The West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Team (WMSCT) has presented a cheque for £400 to Rosemary Wormington, a founding member of the Worcestershire Brain Tumour Support Group (WBTSG) on Monday 27th September.

The WBTSG was set up by Rosemary and John Wormington, when following their own daughter’s diagnosis of a malignant brain tumour, they found there was a lack of local support groups for people with brain tumours anywhere in the Midlands. They started their own group to offer practical advice and friendship to those suffering from or looking after, someone with the condition.

Rosemary Wormington said “I would like to thank the team on behalf of the Worcestershire Brain Tumour Support Group for their kind donation. Donations like this help us to campaign for more vital research into the causes and treatments of brain tumours and provide ongoing support to patients and their families in their fight against this devastating disease.”

The WMSCT decided to take part in a ‘Come Bake with Me’ competition after a colleague’s little girl was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour called a pilocytic astrocytoma.Dave Boehmer, Assistant Director for Resources and Finance, came up with the idea for the baking competition said: “Feeling the need for more cake in my life I suggested that we had a baking competition along the same lines as the ‘Come Dine with Me’ programme on Channel 4 where amateur chefs attempt to wow each other with their culinary skills or in our case our cake baking skills.

“Each week individual teams baked cakes and brought them in for us to sample during our lunch hour. Members of the team marked the cakes on taste, looks and quality and gave a donation to the WBTSG which had been nominated as the office charity.

“On a more serious note a colleague’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour last year, which although benign has resulted in their little girl, Emma, needing surgery and chemotherapy and we wanted to do something to show our support for the family. Emma who is only 22 months old has already had two operations and 8 months of chemotherapy and will need a further 2 operations and 10 months chemotherapy before her treatment is complete.”

Dave Boehmer continued: “We know that our colleague particularly benefited from speaking to other parents whose children have been diagnosed with brain tumours. Parents very rapidly become expert patients and can talk to other parents whose children are too young to explain how they are feeling. We hope by raising this money we can help the support group to provide a network offering help and support to other families in the West Midlands who have relatives or friends who have been diagnosed with brain tumours.”

Karen Helliwell, Director of the Specialised Commissioning Team says: “The Team has made a fantastic effort to raise, what may seem like a small amount of money, but will make a difference to the support offered by the Worcestershire Brain Tumour Support Group to families in what are very emotional and traumatic times. It was a light hearted competition, but with a very serious theme behind it and the work that the Support Group does supporting the children and their families is extremely important.”

Issued: 07/10/2010