Wolverhampton Bladder Cancer Support Group
The last meeting of 2025 was a lecture from Mr.Gupta, followed by little Christmas party.Some fun was had by all!
In addition the proceedings were filmed by New Cross Illustrations Dept. so evidence will be forthcoming!
We wish all our members and families a Happy Christmas and a healthy 2026.
Please look out for details of 2026 meetings which will be flagged on here early in the New Year.
We had , as usual, a very interesting talk from Mr Mak in September.The bright sunshine made audio visuals a bit tricky but no-one complained about sunshine!
This was followed by the AGM, where it was shown that the group was financially healthy thanks to members fundraising efforts.The existing committee was re -elected and a discussion then ensued in relation to the future operation and management of the group.
It was noted that group attendance had fallen in recent months but the attendees felt that no changes were needed in the way the group was run.It was also noted that most current committee members had been in post for many years and that new blood would re-energise proceedings.It was agreed that these topics would be reviewed in future meetings.
The meeting closed and yet again,no photos! This will be rectified at our November meeting when we will be having a little pre Christmas celebration!
We are looking forward to hearing from Mr. Gupta first, though.
Finally, there is an online survey being done by Kings College regarding monitoring of bladder cancer and a poster is shown below.
It would be very helpful if you could take the time to provide some input to this, details are on the poster.
The walk in the park for Bladder Cancer week went well.
We had to compete with another event so the park was busy but we had a good turnout and here is the evidence.
We are extremely grateful to Janette Rayner, her brother in law and the regulars at the Wagon and Horses in Tipton for their wonderful donation of £788, in memory of Janette's sister.
Jenny and Nicky at the London Half Marathon in aid of Action Bladder Cancer. Well done them, raised over £1000!
Well, the Summer Dance at Penn Bowling Club was a resounding success! Over 100 people attended the event, and they were entertained with music,comedy,raffles and an excellent buffet.It was great to see so many group members and their supporters having a good time.
The Elderlies played some great tunes, the Race raffle , donated by Dunstall Park, generated great interest and many other donated prizes were won.To top it all Hayley Abbas Masonic Lodge gave a cheque for £300 to group funds.
Our grateful thanks go to them and to all who contributed to a cracking evening.
For once we have a selection of photos to record the event. Here they are, see if you can spot anyone you know!
Grateful thanks to the staff and regulars at the Waggon & Horses ,Tipton, for their generous donation of £200 ! And to Janette Rayner and Jesse Phillips for organising it. This will help keep the group thriving!
We have also received a further £200 donation from HH Roberts for which we are very grateful.
The first meeting of 2024 was attended by about 30 members who listened to a talk by Jackie O'Kelly from Action Bladder UK. She gave us all an insight into how this national charity operates and the services it can provide, on a local and national basis. We also had a short address from a MacMillan Care navigator.
We welcomed 4 new members to the group, had a chat about raffles and discussed the upcoming Summer Dance.The new speaker system is working well.
We have some photos of the day.
The Christmas Lunch , 2023 , was great fun! The food was good,the company even better and Matty Jay provided some excellent entertainment.We raffled off some generous gifts provided by our members and raised £123 in the process! thanks to all who contributed in any way.
A few photos follow, courtesy of Jenny.
Our final meeting of 2023 was held on November 20th and the group seems to be enjoying our new venue.Jenny gave an interesting talk on the life of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and we all sent our best wishes for a speedy recovery to Helen.The new sound equipment worked well and our group raffle raised £37 on the day so thanks to all who attended.
Mr Cooke gave an interesting talk at our meeting on September 4th at our new venue, the Hub, Ashmore Park. There was a good turnout and the staff were very helpful.
We had a good discussion about the christmas meal, and a raffle to raise funds. The raffle will be a feature at future meetings! The AGM followed and the present incumbents were reelected to their respective positions.Forgot the photos again, sorry!!
The meeting on June 5th was lively !
Keith Banks, Chairman, introduced new members, and set out the agenda for the afternoon. Unfortunately the scheduled speaker was unable to attend , so
we were introduced to to 2 new neurological nurses, Carol and Bea and a new care navigator,Stephanie, who gave us a quick resume of their career to date.
Finances were discussed and a need to raise funds was recognised. A proposal re a lottery , raised by Colon Jones, was discussed. Further discussion to take place, but in the meantime a raffle would be organised.
The Christmas lunch was confirmed as December 13th at the Pavilion and entertainment would be sought. Price this year will be £25 for members, £30 for visitors.
On Sunday the annual Walk in the Park to raise awareness of bladder cancer was held at West Park and was attended by a happy bunch of supporters with balloons and bubbles. We have a few photos of them and thank them for their efforts.
Our meeting on April 3rd was excellent! We had a late change of venue, but the sterling efforts of Chairman, Keith Banks, ably abetted by Nicki and Sylvia, made sure members were steered to the alternative location at the Ashmore Hub.
The room was smaller than normal but the layout made for a more communal feeling and about 30 members enjoyed the new environment and the tea and coffee laid on. Mr Mak gave an interesting talk on Intravesical Therapies and engaged really well with his audience, who asked a lot of questions!
It was new Chairman, Keith Banks' , first meeting and everything went smoothly.
New members were welcomed and the committee introduced themselves.
The finance report was presented and a general chat about the group's role took place.
Discussions took place on proposed social events for 2023, and it was decided that we would focus on our Christmas lunch this year as time was too short to organise a summer dance.
Nicki Teruel was thanked for attending on her day off!
As the meeting ended , it was pleasing to see many members chatting amongst themselves and generally showing what the group is all about. A really good meeting all round!
Again , we forgot the photos!
Subsequently, member Gary Edge volunteered to serve on the committee and we thank him and look forward to working with him.
