AT FIRST glance, Brian May, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and Gary Lineker might not seem to have much in common. But that’s where you’d be wrong because, along with countless others, they have helped to raise money for a very worthy cause.
Founded in 1851 by Dr William Marsden, the Royal Marsden in Fulham Road, southwest London, is the leading cancer hospital in the UK, and includes the first oncology centre to have a consultant dietitian.
As the hospital’s fundraising director, Angela Roden, 55, is more aware than most people of its cutting-edge work. While involved in her previous fundraising role at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, she discovered that she had breast cancer.
“I just plodded on and got through it,” she says. “But I’m getting the best aftercare here and I have regular checks.”
Her PA, Jas Chahal, 25, began working at the Royal Marsden six months ago. Angela recalls: “At the initial interview, I was very impressed with her bright and lively personality, and it was a bonus that she already knew how to operate a fundraising database.”
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Much of Angela’s time is currently taken up with the Royal Marsden’s cancer campaign. Using the catchphrase “Just another ordinary day in an extraordinary place”, the hospital hopes to raise £30 million by December. It already has £16 million in sponsorship and donations.
In the main reception area of the hospital, an entire wall is movingly covered with campaign calendars, where £100 will secure the display of a chosen name.
One of the biggest jobs in fundraising is updating the database. Angela says: “We have a very personal relationship with our donors. Many of them are extremely generous and every day I’m here I can see where the money is going, which is very rewarding.”
Plans are afoot to build new facilities, including a diagnostic centre in which patients would be able to get results in just a day; three new state-of-the-art operating theatres to extend the hospital’s capacity for surgery; and day procedures, and a pioneering PET/CT scanner. But, as Angela explains, it isn’t just the large donations that are appreciated. Last week she received an envelope containing three £1 coins. “And,” she says, “we try to acknowledge each donation, large or small, within two days.”
Eighty per cent of the hospital’s patients are based in London and the South East, and fundraising at the Royal Marsden and its sister hospital in Surrey is vital to maintain its lead in research and trials. Though money is needed to ensure that the Marsden stays ahead, Angela and her team are sensitive to the fact that other cancer centres around the country are also doing good work.
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One way to raise money is through sponsorship, and an information pack, designed with this in mind, is available. Angela says: “One lad came along with a relative who was having treatment, and later asked how to go about organising and publicising a sponsored walk with some guys from his local pub.”
Other ways include donating money instead of presents at a birthday party, and the fundraising department can also advise on this.
“Ideas can vary from the sublime to the ridiculous and we sometimes have to err on the side of caution, because the Royal Marsden needs to retain a certain amount of dignity,” she says.
Two dramatic sponsorships this year will involve rowing across the Atlantic and motorcycling across Russia, and Jas has also organised a London-Paris cycle ride, which begins today, to raise funds for the appeal.
Dealing with such a broad spectrum means that multitasking and “juggling” jobs are all part of a normal working day for Jas, who compares her role with that of an air-traffic controller. She says: “Angela is very hands-on and forthright, and our relationship works because we’re both confident and communicate well.
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“The first thing I noticed was the friendliness of everyone, from the administration staff to the doctors. I’m lucky to work in such a dynamic atmosphere and I feel as though I’m part of something very special.”
DEBORAH KING