Melksham mother meets actress at RUH campaign event

A MELKSHAM mother whose daughter died of cancer last year, has met actress Brenda Blethyn at the recent celebration of the ‘Be a Brick/Buy a Brick’ fundraising scheme for The Forever Friends Appeal’s RUH Cancer Care Campaign which was launched one year ago.

Bev Viveash’s daughter Nicola Robertson died last March and since then, Bev has worked and supported many campaigns to raise awareness and money for RUH and Cancer Research UK charity.

Bev was at Bath’s Royal United Hospital to meet Brenda Blethyn, OBE. The well-renowned actress, most recently famous for her role in the television programme, Vera, is a keen supporter of The Forever Friends Appeal and ambassador for their ‘Be a Brick and Buy a Brick’ initiative which she launched last year. The campaign is encouraging supporters to purchase virtual bricks to help build a new cancer centre at the RUH.

Brenda was visiting the hospital to celebrate the fundraising success of the scheme, which has raised £120,000 to date. In addition, she launched her brand new ‘Be a Brick’ collection boxes to encourage people to save their pennies and pounds to buy more virtual bricks for the new cancer centre at the hospital.

Brenda Blethyn said, “Just one year since I last visited the RUH to launch this scheme, I am thrilled to be back to celebrate not only its wonderful success, but to promote a new concept to this fantastic fundraiser. The new, brightly coloured, cardboard collection boxes are hot off the press and the perfect size to pop onto your local shop counter, display at work or at home, ready to save your pennies and pounds!”

Bev Viveash said, “It’s great that such a well-known actress supports such an event and the success of the appeal has been amazing.”

The ‘Be a Brick’ scheme which was launched in February 2013 has given individuals, companies and groups the opportunity to ‘Be a Brick!’ and ‘Buy a Brick, a Row or a Wall’ to help raise funds towards building a pioneering new cancer centre for the hospital. In return for purchasing a virtual brick at the cost of £10 each, donors receive a ‘Be a Brick’ certificate and acknowledgement letter. To choose to purchase a virtual ‘Row’ for £100 or ‘Wall’ for £1,000, they receive a certificate together with an acknowledgement of their chosen name within the design of the new cancer centre. In only one year, a significant number of bricks, rows and walls have already been bought. However, with much more needing to be raised, the scheme continues in earnest.

With this launch of the collection boxes, people are being encouraged to save their small change and fill their collection boxes to raise enough money to ‘Be a Brick and Buy a Brick’. To get hold of your very own ‘Be a Brick’ collection box, call The Forever Friends Appeal office on 01225 825691.