Boys at The Manchester Grammar School presented a cheque for more than £45,000 to help Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital buy a vital piece of life-saving equipment.
In 2017, MGS boys launched an ambitious campaign to dedicate their fundraising efforts over the academic year to assist the hospital in purchasing a bronchoscopy camera.
This was a decision the boys made unanimously among themselves, as they wanted to express their thanks and gratitude to the exceptional staff at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital (RCMH), who have treated a number of MGS pupils in recent years.
And, having raised a total of £46,106.95, MGS boys presented the cheque to Dr Omendra Narayan, Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician.
The specialised bronchoscopy camera is inserted into a patient’s airway to check the lungs and the airway for any signs of damage.
The hospital currently undertakes about 160 of these procedures every year, but as each camera has to be thoroughly cleaned between procedures, there are not enough cameras to meet the demands of the department.
By purchasing another camera for the hospital, it will allow the clinic to not only reduce waiting times, but it can also be used on smaller patients, including babies, and potentially save their lives.
Because the cost of the camera is roughly £30,000, and the boys exceeded their target by more than £15,000, the surplus will be donated to RMCH’s iMRI Scanner Appeal, which aims to raise £4m to purchase state-of-the-art intra-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) equipment that will revolutionise surgical care at the hospital.
Tom Robinson, 17, the current MGS School Captain and part of the MGS Charities Committee, said: “The staff at RMCH do an absolutely incredible job and we’re very fortunate in Manchester to have such a world-class hospital for children and young people on our doorstep.
“Many MGS pupils have friends or relatives who have been treated at RMCH over the years and the treatment they’ve received has been superb, so we really wanted to give something back to the hospital to show our gratitude and help other young people in need of treatment.
“As soon we knew what a difference this camera could make to young people and small children suffering from serious respiratory problems, we were absolutely determined to raise the money the hospital would need to buy this potentially life-saving piece of equipment, and we are delighted to have done so.
“On behalf of everyone at MGS, we would like to thank RMCH and all the staff for the fantastic work they do looking after poorly young people.”
Across the academic year, there were a series of fundraising events held at MGS, including non-uniform days, a doughnut sale, a beat-the-goalkeeper challenge and staff taking part in a 10km run through Manchester city centre.
The fundraising culminated in a charity dinner held in the MGS Memorial Hall where a host of sporting memorabilia, signed by the likes of Anthony Joshua, Ricky Hatton, Harry Kane and Zinedine Zidane, a rare screen print donated by local artist Mancsy, and a host of other prizes generously donated, were auctioned off.
Maurice Watkins CBE, Chairman of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity’s fundraising board and MGS Chair of Governors comments: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the pupils and parents who have helped raise such a tremendous amount for the Children’s Hospital.
“The money raised will support specialised equipment in the hospital which will make a real difference to our patients.”