by Rosie Graham | Apr 29, 2021 | News
Raising funds for the Southland Charity Hospital has taken on a new direction as eight members of the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club embark on a mammoth 1200-kilometre Tractor Trek from Invercargill to Christchurch.
Club members will take turns drivinga yellow Massey Ferguson 20D (a 1980s model imported from the UK) which has been named Big Bird by local school children.
The Tractor Trek, the brainchild of the club, is raising money for the Southland Charity Hospital and will leave E Hayes in Dee Street at 11am on Sunday 2 May 2021.
After travelling along SH1 at an average speed of 30km an hour the tired drivers are expected to arrive 24 hours later at the Canterbury Charity Hospital in Harewood Road, Christchurch, at 11am on Monday 3 May 2021.
The Tractor Trek concept was initiated by club member Tom Parkes, and it was one club president Fraser Pearce was immediately drawn to.
“We wanted to look at a different way of raising funds for the Southland Charity Hospital,” says Fraser Pearce.
“Everybody’s got a cancer story. We’ve all followed Melissa and the late Blair Vining’s story closely, and a lot of us know what cancer can do, so if we can help, that’s great.”
Blair Vining himself, who helped launch the Southland Charity Hospital in his final stages of bowel cancer in 2019, spent many hours driving a tractor as part of his job, so it seems fitting that a Tractor Trek will serve as a fundraiser for the hospital.
Tractor treks are nothing new to the Thornbury club as they form part of their usual activities and they have held fundraisers in the past. And this one will be special – because it is one tractor and it is non-stop. And it falls in the midst of the club’s 65-year celebrations.
The plan after arriving in Christchurch is to have a couple of hours’ rest at the Canterbury Charity Hospital and then start on the return journey home by tractor.
The public can support the Tractor Trek by texting Tractor to 4644 which automatically donates $3 to the Southland Charity Hospital and can also sponsor the trek online at www.tractortrek.co.nz.
by Rosie Graham | Feb 14, 2021 | News
The Canterbury Charity Hospital has serious concerns about the Wheels to Wings cycleway planned by the Christchurch City Council.
Hospital Executive Officer Carl Shaw says the main concerns are to do with safety and access to the hospital’s three buildings on Harewood Road.
“The Charity Hospital is actively engaging with the Christchurch City Council on an improved design and will be making a formal submission to the Council.
“We encourage other concerned parties to engage with the Council and make submissions to enable a better design outcome in due course.”
by Rosie Graham | Feb 9, 2021 | News
Our new MP for Ilam Sarah Pallett popped in for a visit to the Charity Hospital. It was great to show her around and have a chat.
Sarah is pictured with Hospital Manager Carl Shaw (left) and Sue and Phil Bagshaw in the hospital’s Endoscopy theatre.
by Rosie Graham | Jan 31, 2021 | News
A free endoscopy clinic for people aged under 50 with rectal bleeding run by the Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust is saving lives.
The clinic provides this vital procedure that is unaffordable for a large percentage of the population and has detected multiple and significant issues including patients who have already developed colorectal cancer.
“We see people who are at best living with uncomfortable conditions and at worst at risk of getting colorectal cancer,” says Chairman Philip Bagshaw.
“Our services are free because of the commitment of our 300 volunteers, many of whom are medical professionals from the CDHB and private practice, who regularly and generously offer their time to help others.”
To date the hospital has seen over 1503 of these patients and expect to see a further 600 each year. The Charity Hospital also provides other endoscopy services for a wider age range with a referral from the patient’s GP.
The hospital’s endoscopy unit has recently been extended so more free procedures can be undertaken and includes separate consultation rooms with improved privacy and access for both patients and staff along and a larger reception area.
by Rosie Graham | Jan 31, 2021 | News
The Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust provides FREE elective day surgery, medical outpatients clinics, dentistry, oral surgery and counselling for those in the Canterbury community who can’t access care from the public or private health systems.
To be eligible patients do not have medical insurance or the means to pay for their treatment privately. They must also be a referred by their general practitioner or dentist for most of the hospital’s services.
The Charity Hospital currently provides colonoscopy (acute and screening), gynaecology and women’s health, general surgery (abdominal, rectal), oral surgery and dentistry, counselling (self-referral), orthopaedics (upper and lower limb), cataract surgery, dietetics and urology.
by emmavelde | Jan 28, 2021 | News
Over the years many doctors, nurses, dentists, health professionals and public-spirited people have volunteered their time and expertise to help make the charity hospital a success and enable us to provide our services for free.
