Friends of the Royal Surrey held a wonderful Charity Gala Dinner and Dance at the Hogs Back Hotel
on Friday 28th March, with local MPs Jeremy Hunt and Greg Stafford acting as auctioneers for the
numerous lots donated by local businesses and supporters.
The event raised a staggering £22,000 for the Cancer & Surgical Innovation Centre Campaign which
will open next year and enable the treatment of an additional 7,000 patients.
Louise Stead, CEO of Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The gala dinner was a fantastic event,
and wonderful to see so many people coming together to support Royal Surrey Charity’s Cancer and
Surgical Innovation Campaign. This campaign, has now raised over £570,000, which is a huge
milestone. These funds will help bring cutting-edge surgical equipment and technology to the new
surgical centre at the Royal Surrey, ensuring patients receive the very best care.
“A huge thank you to community fundraising group, Friends of Royal Surrey Charity and Jeremy Hunt
MP who initiated this campaign from the start. Their unwavering dedication, generosity and
enthusiasm to this cause is to be commended and truly makes a big difference.
“The surgical centre is due to open in late 2026. It will add six state-of-the-art operating theatres, a
recovery area, and dedicated short-stay wards. Importantly, it will enable us to perform 7,000
additional surgeries annually.”
Jeremy Hunt, MP for Godalming and Ash said:
"What an amazing event by the Friends of the Royal Surrey Charity. Huge thanks to organiser, Judith
Storey and her team for all their hard work and to the event sponsors: CHD Living and Surrey AI. This
is a considerable boost to our fundraising campaign."
Judith Storey, Friends of the RS Chair, said
“ We are thrilled to be marking 30 years of the hospital Trust’s charity supporting extraordinary care. We are very grateful to everybody who bid and won
prizes in our first on-line auction run by Superstars. The lots were varied - from golf games to
jewellery, to F1 British Grand Prix tickets. There was even a hand painted Nepalese illustration made
using one cat’s hair as the brush!We were honoured to have the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Guildford join as our guests.
Thank you to everyone for their support, and thank you for believing in the power of kindness and
compassion. Let’s remember that Generosity Saves Lives.”
Greg Stafford, MP for Farnham and Bordon said:
"It was a privilege to attend the Royal Surrey Charity Gala Dinner and witness
such generosity and community spirit in support of one of our local hospitals.
The funds raised will make a meaningful difference to patients and their families. I pay tribute to
everyone who contributed and to those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the evening
such a success."
The event was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors CHD Living and Surrey AI
Centre, which will mean funds raised can go directly to enhancing the new centre, which aims to
revolutionise cancer surgery in Surrey and the Southeast. Building work began last year on the centre,
which will house six new operating theatres and help to build on Royal Surrey’s world-class services in
robotic and non-robotic surgery. As a regional centre for cancer services, the Royal Surrey supports a
population of up to 3 million (around 4.5% of the UK’s population) and is home to the fourth largest
cancer centre in the country.
For further information
Contact Judith Storey Chairperson
Mobile 07932 411108
Friends of the RSCH Cancer and Surgical Innovation Centre
In support of Royal Surrey Charity, Egerton Road, Guildford, GU2 7 XX
Registered as a charity in England and Wales. Charity number 1049776
