MPs Become Auctioneers As Charity Gives Royal Surrey a £22,000 Boost

Published on: 4 Apr, 2025
Updated on: 7 Apr, 2025

Jeremy Hunt (left) and Greg Stafford with Judith Storey, chair of the Friends of the Royal Surrey

MPs Jeremy Hunt and Greg Stafford acted as auctioneers for the evening when the Friends of the Royal Surrey held their charity gala dinner and dance – an event that raised £22,000 for the hospital’s new cancer and surgical innovation centre.

The new centre, which will open next year, aims to to revolutionise cancer surgery in Surrey and will enable the treatment of an additional 7,000 patients.

Louise Stead, CEO of the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It was a fantastic event and wonderful to see so many people coming together to support the Royal Surrey Charity’s Cancer and Surgical Innovation Campaign.

“This campaign has now raised over £570,000, which is a huge milestone. These funds will help bring cutting-edge surgical equipment and technology to the new surgical centre at the Royal Surrey, ensuring patients receive the very best care.

Louise Stead

“A huge thank you to community fundraising group Friends of Royal Surrey Charity and Jeremy Hunt, who initiated this campaign from the start. Their unwavering dedication, generosity and enthusiasm to this cause is to be commended and truly makes a big difference.”

The surgical centre is due to open in late 2026. It will add six state-of-the-art operating theatres, a recovery area, and dedicated short-stay wards. Importantly, it will enable the hospital to perform 7,000 additional surgeries annually.

Jeremy Hunt, MP for Godalming and Ash, said: “What an amazing event by the Friends of the Royal Surrey Charity. Huge thanks to organiser Judith Storey and her team for all their hard work and to the event sponsors – CHD Living and Surrey AI. This is a considerable boost to our fundraising campaign.”

Lots for the auction were donated by local businesses and supporters.

Judith Storey, Chair of the Friends of the Royal Surrey, said “ We are thrilled to be marking 30 years of the hospital trust’s charity supporting extraordinary care. We are very grateful to everybody who bid and won prizes in our first on-line auction run by Superstars. The lots were varied – from golf games to
jewellery, to F1 British Grand Prix tickets. There was even a hand-painted Nepalese illustration made
using one cat’s hair as the brush!

“We were honoured to have the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Guildford join as our guests.
Thank you to everyone for their support, and thank you for believing in the power of kindness and
compassion. Let’s remember that Generosity Saves Lives.”

Greg Stafford, MP for Farnham and Bordon, said “It was a privilege to attend and witness
such generosity and community spirit in support of one of our local hospitals. The funds raised will make a meaningful difference to patients and their families. I pay tribute to everyone who contributed and to those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the evening such a success.”

The event, held at the Hog’s Back Hotel on the A31, was made possible through the support of sponsors CHD Living and Surrey AI Centre, which will mean funds raised can go directly to enhancing the new centre.

Building work began last year on the centre, which will house six new operating theatres and help to build on Royal Surrey’s world-class services in robotic and non-robotic surgery. As a regional centre for cancer services, the Royal Surrey supports a population of up to three million and is home to the fourth-largest cancer centre in the country.