Celebrities, doctors, nurses, therapists and patients made a huge splash at the Royal United Hospitals (RUH) on Tuesday to mark a £1 million pledge from business couple, Andrew and Christina Brownsword, and their Charitable Foundation to launch The Forever Friends Appeal’s new ‘RNHRD and Therapies Centre’ Campaign.

As the primary charity at Bath’s Royal United Hospitals, the Appeal and their new campaign aims to raise a total of over £2 million to support the building of a new, state-of-the-art RNHRD and Therapies Centre. This purpose-built outpatient facility will provide treatment, care and education for patients to recover from episodes of illness or injury, or to manage their long-term condition. The Brownsword family have promised to match £1 million worth of donations from the public and other donors to help raise this total – through ‘The Brownsword Challenge’.

Andrew Brownsword, visiting the hydrotherapy pool in the existing RUH Therapies Department, met Appeal Ambassadors, staff and patients and launched the new Campaign. Mr Brownsword said: “By establishing this ‘Brownsword Match Funding Challenge’ we want to ensure that every pound the public donates is matched with another pound from us to help the Appeal reach its target. After hearing patient experiences such as Nic Noble’s, we were compelled to get involved. Please join us in raising as much as possible to ensure this new Centre, so important to the most effective and best possible care of patients and their families, takes shape over the next two years.”

Appeal Ambassadors, Para-Olympic medallists, Stephanie Millward and Ben Rushgrove, together with Paulton TV presenter, Martin Roberts, all lent their support to the Match Funding Challenge on Tuesday.

The RNHRD and Therapies Centre building will house Rheumatology, Therapies and a number of Pain Management Services under one roof, bringing together RUH services and services relocated from the RNHRD (Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases).

Gina Sargeant, Head of Therapies at the RUH and RNHRD, said: “We’re creating a nurturing environment with dedicated specialist facilities for our patients. Designed in conjunction with staff and patients, the Centre will include a large hydrotherapy pool, specialist gym and rehabilitation equipment, and a Biologics treatment space to support treatment, recovery, wellbeing and the management of long-term conditions. The expertise, heritage and international reputation of the RNHRD will combine with a local reputation for excellent care, leading to the provision of a unique facility at District General Hospital level for the benefit of thousands of people across Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire.”

The Forever Friends Appeal are thrilled by the support given by the Brownsword Family and its Charitable Foundation. Tim Hobbs, Head of Fundraising, commented: “Our current facilities for these services are costly to maintain and update, in order to meet modern healthcare standards. They are also too dispersed across the hospital and on two different sites. This situation does not complement or help facilitate the hospital’s aims for achieving the highest quality of clinical care.

“Therefore, the generous support we have received from the Brownsword family is absolutely vital to our patients. We hope it will encourage the public to get involved and help us reach our target of £2 million, which will complement the circa £14 million being invested in the building from NHS sources.

“The public’s charitable donations working in partnership with NHS funding are really important – they enable the clinicians and project managers to ‘think outside the box’, innovate, and make our facilities really special for patients here at the RUH. There are many ways to get involved – the Brownsword Match Funding Challenge will maximise the impact of people’s efforts, such as our Therapies Staff taking part in the Appeal’s Fire and Ice Walk on Sunday, 5th March to kick-start their fundraising efforts.”

There are many fundraising events taking place throughout the year, with money raised going to your chosen hospital department. For the new appeal, readers can text TFFA17 £10 to 70070 and instantly make a donation. The Walk of Life takes place on Saturday, 13th May and a group of intrepid adventurers will take on Machu Picchu in November this year. For more details about fundraising events, visit: www.foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk

Alongside launching this new Campaign, The Forever Friends Appeal are working hard to complete their existing RUH Cancer Care Campaign, raising funds for the state-of-the-art Cancer Centre due to be built starting in 2019 (after the RNHRD and Therapies Centre). Tim Hobbs adds: “Support remains strong for the Cancer Care Campaign, with about £1 million to go, and we hope this valued support continues for our new RNHRD and Therapies Centre Campaign.”