Two worthy charities named as Blaston Show’s 2023 beneficiaries

After much deliberation the Blaston Show committee members have chosen this year’s official charities; Macmillan Cancer Support (Market Harborough Group) and East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS) will share top billing and matching donations once this year’s show is done and dusted.

There will be few people unaware of the work of Macmillan Cancer Support. With a strapline of, ‘here to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer’, the charity provides emotional, practical, physical and financial support to people living with every stage of cancer. It also supports healthcare professionals while fundraising and campaiging at both local and national level.

Over three million people live with cancer in the UK, and the charity provides a lifeline to those affected by the disease.

Chairman of the Group, Eunice Loney, said: “The Market Harborough Group of Macmillan Cancer Support is delighted to be chosen as one of the Headline Charities for the 2023 Blaston Show. This will be an opportunity to introduce our Group to the many supporters of the Show and chat to people about Macmillan and our fundraising events.

“Covid affected many charities and fundraising was difficult but over this last year we were pleased to be able to get back to some popular fundraising events. In 2022 we raised £25,000 so, with the help of Blaston Show, we hope to ‘smash’ that in 2023!”

Read more: https://www.macmillan.org.uk

EMICS is a network of volunteer doctors with specialist training in pre-hospital emergency medicine who assist East Midlands Ambulance Service, free-of-charge to the NHS, at the scene of life-threatening emergencies. Drawing on their advanced, specialist skills, EMICS doctors treat patients at the point of accident or injury where time really is of the essence.

The volunteer doctors are drawn from a variety of backgrounds including Anaesthesia, General Practice, Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine. Each doctor lives or works in the East Midlands and responds in their local area. They turn out to the most serious incidents in the region at all hours, in all weather conditions, 365 days a year, responding from home in their own vehicles complete with their own kit and medications, around normal work commitments.

Dr Chris Bonham, one of EMICS volunteer doctors, said: “It costs in the region of £20,000 to provide just one EMICS doctor with the necessary equipment to undertake life saving interventions for our patients. Our volunteer doctors attend over 35 call outs per week in support of the East Midland Ambulance Service and are active 365 days a year. We rely 100% on donations to keep this life-saving service running, so we are delighted to have been chosen by the Blaston Show committee as one of its nominated charities for 2023. Any opportunity to raise awareness of our work is hugely appreciated and we are thoroughly looking forward to this year’s show.”

Read more: https://emics.org.uk

Over its lifespan, donations in excess of £50,000 have been made by the Blaston and District Agricultural Show Society, benefiting a wide range of local charities. Last year alone over £8,000 was raised and split among chosen beneficiaries.