STAFF at the Blunsdon House Hotel have handed over £1,000 to help bring a new radiotherapy unit to the Great Western Hospital.

The hotel has chosen Brighter Futures, the charitable arm of the Great Western Hospital Foundation Trust, which helps to pay for treatments not available on the NHS, as charity of the year.

And efforts by staff and guests have seen the total raised reach £1,000 after hosting a Valentine’s Day ball. A cheque was handed over earlier this month.

Vanessa Knowlden, marketing manager at the Best Western Plus Blunsdon House Hotel, said: “Staff of the hotel have raised £500 for the Brighter Futures Appeal; £500 was raised from our Valentines Pink Ball, and I am working with Jennifer [Green, head of fundraising at Brighter Futures] to hold a number of fundraising events at the hotel this year.

“The Clifford family, owners of the hotel, should be mentioned as they are at the forefront of all fundraising at the hotel and are instrumental in everything we do with Brighter Futures.”

The money will be put toward Brighter Future’s radiotherapy appeal, which will be launched later this year to raise money to pay for a dedicated unit at the hospital.

Jennifer said: “Although we won’t launch the appeal until May 28 we have been chosen as charity of the year by a few organisations and they were keen to start fundraising for us.”

For more on Brighter Futures visit www.gwh.nhs.uk/support-us/about-brighter-futures.