A new flagship regional children’s cancer centre is set to be built at Sheffield Children’s Hospital thanks to donations from PACT Charity and leading not-for-profit health and wellbeing company Westfield Health.

The centre will be called the PACT and Westfield Health Oncology and Haematology Centre and is three times the size of the existing centre. The new facility will allow all services to be fully integrated into a purpose built facility which will transform the care the centre can provide to children.

Some of the benefits of the new PACT and Westfield Health Oncology and Haematology Centre include an integrated inpatient facility and clinic, a separate area for teenagers, dedicated access, better flow and privacy, a fully integrated team and more than three times the floor space than the previous facility.

Sheila McGovern, PACT Chair said “We are a small volunteer charity but there has been so much passion and support from so many people that we’ve achieved our target eight months ahead of schedule – which means we can build the clinic for our children much sooner.  We couldn’t have done this without the support of so many people, and some very generous large donations.  We are so grateful, and so pleased that we will be able to deliver this vision in 2017”.

The funding announcement comes during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign, which runs throughout September, informs people how cancer impacts children and their families.  It also helps to raise funds so charities such as PACT can support children with cancer. Most importantly the awareness month lets children with cancer and their families know that they are not alone and that people care.

Graham Moore, Chairman of Westfield Health, said: “When PACT wrote to us to ask for support we could immediately see how this facility would change the lives of so many children and their families.  We felt compelled to make this happen and have donated £200,000 to help co-fund the centre. We have been a long standing supporter of both PACT and Sheffield Children’s Hospital and it is fantastic that such a flagship facility is being built in Sheffield”.

John Somers from Sheffield Children’s Hospital added: “We are incredibly grateful to PACT, Westfield and all the members of the public who have contributed to this appeal. The new centre will be fantastic and will benefit our patients and their families for many years to come. As we continue to develop our specialist children’s services and help children from across the region, the new Cancer Centre will ensure we have a high quality environment as well as high quality care. Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this happen”.

Although the target for the building costs has now been reached, PACT are continuing to fundraise (until May 2017) to fit out the centre so that it provides the most inspiring space possible.

In the picture below, taken at PACT House, are (Front row, left to right) Beryl Welburn, PACT Co-Ordinator, Graham Moore, Chairman, Westfield Health Charity Foundation, Sheila McGovern, PACT Chair, Millie Layton and John Somers, Chief Executive, Sheffield Children’s Hospital. In the back row from left to right are Simon Gibson, PACT Trustee, Sue Blakey, PACT Trustee and Jane Mitchell, PACT Trustee.