Wolverhampton Bladder Cancer Support Group

The first meeting of 2020 took place in February, and we had interesting talks from Andrew Bagnall who told us all about Compton Care, and Satinda Rhandawa of MacMillan Nurses who explained the benefits available to cancer sufferers. Some faces new and some familiar attended and all rounded off with a hot cuppa from Margaret and Ron!

Here they all are.

We ended the year with our Christmas lunch, held once again at the Pavilion, Stafford Rd. There was a good turnout, and chatter levels were high, so it seemed everyone enjoyed the event and the company! The food was good, as ever, and we were entertained by Pete Boddis and friend, and we sang along . There were some excellent prizes in the free raffle, although I didn't win one! 

It was so good to see the group's members and their loved ones  having a good time and sharing some fun with their fellows. As usual, we have a few memories of the day.

The final talk of the year was given by our own Jenny Akins, who told us of the many tasks and responsibilities of a Specialist Nurse Practitioner.

A few eyes were opened as to the breadth of knowledge required for the role. She did remarkably well, considering the visual aids were not cooperative!

The last group meeting of 2018 took place on November 23rd, with our usual good turnout , and we had an interesting talk on Cancer and relationships, followed by tea and biccies, courtesy of Margaret and Ron.

We wish all our sufferers, partners, carers, friends and supporters a happy and healthy 2019!

We are very sad to report that  Brian Rayner, a committee member, and friend and confidant to many group members , passed away in early November after a short illness. Brian was a kind, caring man, who always went the extra mile to help and he will be sorely missed by many. We offer our condolences to Janette and the family, and we hold them in our thoughts at this sad time.

Our September meeting was very well attended and Mr Cooke gave us another interesting talk, this time on robotic surgery and cystectomies.Yet again , his professionalism and enthusiasm were very apparent.

Later, we held the 2018 AGM for the group, and reappointed the Chairman, Treasurer and committee, and approved the accounts for the year to June 2018. Arrangements for the December lunch , on December 19th, were confirmed and bookings are now being taken.

The latest pictures are below.

Mark Guest , the son of a committee member rode the Prudential 100 mile Life Ride as a representative of our group, to raise funds on behalf of Action On Bladder Cancer. This is a national charity set up to raise awareness of, and funding for, bladder cancer and to provide links to local support.

Despite horrible conditions, he did it in 5 ¾ hours and has raised £2520 in the process.

Well done, Mark!!

Our chairman , Peter Spencer, has recently undergone major surgery, and has now been released from custody! We are all delighted  is home and look forward to his speedy recovery and better health.

Our group supported the  Walk for Bladder Cancer on May 20th in West Park, Wolverhampton.

This national event was promoted by the charity, Fight Bladder Cancer, to raise awareness of the condition. Jenny and Helen led the day, with balloons and T-shirts , and a good following enjoyed a gentle stroll in the spring sunshine. A worthy cause. Here is an excellent photograph.

At our April meeting, the original speaker was unable to attend, so Jeanine Riley gave us a talk about Action on Bladder Cancer, a major charity, and we learned a lot about what  goes on  at national level. It was interesting and entertaining and a good turnout again. A couple of pictures.

We had a really good turnout for our last meeting of 2017, over 30, and Andrew Winterbottom of Fight Bladder Cancer gave a talk about the growth of the charity and its current aims and aspirations. It was very informative and he promised to feature us in future website comments.( See Useful Links Page.)

They were delighted when we presented them with a cheque for £ 1,000 from WBCSG funds. Here it is!

Later Jenny and Helen fielded questions from the group, and we all had a nice cuppa!

We also used the occasion to offer our thanks to Jesse Phillips, an original committee member, who is standing down,and also to Barbara Homer, who acted as Secretary for the last couple of years and tried to keep us in order. We also gave Margaret a little prezzie as thank you for her teamaking duties over the years. Here are a few reminders.

We also remembered Bryn Whitehouse, a  frequent  visitor to the group, who sadly passed away recently.

We offered our condolences to Janet, his wife, who attended the meeting

We enjoyed an interesting talk from Mr Vinnie During in September, and he brought us up to date with latest developments in Urology and explained some of the history of currently available  treatments.

The AGM followed , the minutes of which will be published on the Members page shortly. It was agreed that we would continue to hold meetings at our current venue, 2018 dates to be confirmed. We thanked Barbara Homer and Jesse Phillips for their support and input to the committee and wished them well.

Anyone who wishes to help will be welcomed to the committee, the tasks are not onerous, but it helps if we can spread the load. The accounts were approved and show a healthy surplus, some of which it was agreed would be donated to the national charity, Fight Bladder Cancer.