COVID-19 – Charity Update

As the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) issue continues to develop, we are conscious of the impact it could have on our supporters and the hospital community.

The health and well-being of our supporters, staff and patients in the hospital will always be our priority and as a team, we are continually monitoring the situation.

*Our office in the Cancer Centre is temporarily closed to reduce the number of staff on site, but our team are all working remotely and would really like to hear from you. You can reach us by calling (028) 9069 9393.

*Our events: we have taken the difficult decision to postpone our upcoming events (Take On The Tower Abseil, Belvoir Park Forest Walk and Newry Canal Cycle) and are in the process of updating everyone who has registered to take part in these events. We will contact participants again once new dates have been arranged and update our website and social media messages to let everyone know when the events are reopened to new registrations. All participants who have raised funds for Friends of the Cancer Centre can carry this money over to the new date and by helping raise these vital funds, you are helping make a real difference to lives of local people here in Northern Ireland. Thank you so much !

*Visiting the hospital: as a charity based in the Cancer Centre, we are mindful of doing what we can to reduce unnecessary footfall into the hospital and have temporarily closed our office. Our fundraising team are all working remotely, so if you need advice or materials for a fundraising event, we will endeavour to do what we can via phone and email. If you would like to make a donation or lodge money, please contact the office and we will advise of ways to do this online, by phone, or at your local bank. Please contact the team if there is anything we can help with by calling 028 9069 9393.

*We would also ask those visiting the Cancer Centre to follow the advice of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Public Health Agency. Visit their websites for up to date information and guidance www.belfasttrust.hscni.net/3262.htm and hwww.publichealth.hscni.net/

*Craft fair: our weekly Monday craft fair held in the foyer of Belfast City Hospital has been postponed until further notice. We are so grateful to our supporters who knit and make items for the fair, and we kindly ask that you hold on to any items you have made for now as we unfortunately don’t currently have the storage to hold everything. Stay tuned to our page and we will let you know when we can start accepting items again.

*Radiotherapy Information Evenings – the radiotherapy team have taken the decision to cancel their patient information evenings as a precautionary measure in light of COVID-19. Please visit the Belfast Trust Cancer Services website for further information and guidance http://belfasttrust-cancerservices.hscni.net

We will ensure that our supporters are kept informed of any changes and if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the team on 028 9069 9393

Thank you,

Team Friends