QA Hospital League of Friends donates £15,000 to Rocky Appeal

The Rocky Appeal has £196,000 left to pay off so the surgical hi-tech robot can stay at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.

Earlier this year, The News launched its own campaign Da Vinci: The Final Push to see the remaining balance of the robot paid off before June next year.

One of the groups to make a donation recently is the QA Hospital’s League of Friends.

They handed over a cheque for £15,000 just before Christmas.

Jan Spear, chairman, said: ‘Most of the money raised was through the cafe we have on Level B of the hospital.

‘We are really pleased with how much we were able to make and the difference this could make to the Rocky Appeal.

‘We wanted to make a donation to help it reach its total and keep the robot before June. It is an important piece of equipment that is making a difference to lots of patients.

‘This donation was like an early Christmas present.’

The Da Vinci robot can be used to operate on five hard-to-reach areas of the body. It is currently being leased to QA Hospital with the Rocky Appeal raising funds to keep it.

The League of Friends aims to raise £100,000 a year for different causes in QA Hospital.

The money can be used for different projects or to help fund equipment.