News


The Group has been donated a day out plus meal for 2,courtesy of Dunstall Park racecourse, all arranged by group regular, Mick Smith. Our thanks go to both of them!  We will be arranging to  raffle off this great prize to group members, family and friends in the very near future,so please support us to raise funds for the group.


Greteful 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.


Please note , the 2024 Newsletter has been issued and you can access it in the News menu above.


 

The Summer Dance has been arranged! It will take place on Friday, May 10th at Penn Bowling Club. Entertainment will be provided by The Elderlies and there will be a buffet.Tickets are £10.They are available at the next group meeting on April 8th or from committee and group members.

Please come along and invite your family and friends for what has always been a fun night!



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.



 




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The Christmas Lunch 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.

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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.






The first meeting of 2023 went well, although the turnout was a little smaller than usual, probably due to the late issue of the group newsletter.Nevertheless we were informed and entertained by Melanie Costin from Fight Bladder Cancer, who took us through her experiences and then told us of the excellent services provided by her charity.an enjoyable and informative afternoon. A couple of pictures .

 The last meeting of 2022,on November 21st, was well attended, despite the shocking weather. Well done to all who braved the conditions.

Dr Richard Bryan gave a very interesting talk about research into bladder cancer and took questions later. A very informative and entertaining speaker.
















The Urology Nurses have been busy! Some took on the 3 peaks challenge for a urological charity recently so follow this link to read all about it.

Well,done them!





Our  meeting on September 26th  was well attended despite the late change of date. Jenny gave us a good overview on bladder cancer and we then held the Annual General Meeting , delayed by a year due to Covid issues.

The meeting recognised the resignation of Peter Spencer as Chairman, and thanked him for his service. No new nominations were received and so the meeting agreed that we continue as a committee for the time being whilst a replacement was sought. Subsequently Keith Banks, a committee member for many years, agreed to to take up the role. Welcome Keith!



Congratulations to Jenny Akins!!!



She has just received the Silver award from the British Journal of Nursing for Urology Nurse of the year.


Jenny is one of the Specialist Nurse Practitioners who were instrumental in setting up this bladder cancer support group and has always shown commitment and dedication to her patients.This award is well deserved!

















































































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