Staff at NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s Oncology Unit received a £1440 donation from the sale of a local lady’s own art works.
Shirley Cronnie who works as a Retail Manager took to creating pastel and chalk drawings following a cancer diagnosis and made the donation on her last day of treatment at the unit.
A long term fundraiser for local and national charities, Shirley raised money over the years with various activities but this was the first time she made a donation from selling her art. Sales began on her own Facebook page with friends buying her creations, then on local community pages and eventually she was packaging pictures daily to send locally, nationally and to Europe.
Shirley said:
“The day I went for a biopsy I saw a cheque donation on the wall of the waiting room, I decided then that when I got through treatment I would do some fundraising. I had no idea then what I would end up doing but I knew I would want to give something to the people who would be looking after me.
“Due to recovering from surgery, then undergoing further treatments, I was not in a physically well state to do the kind of activities I had done previously to raise money for charity. When a friend said I could try selling the pastel and chalk drawings I was doing I couldn’t have imagined the hundreds of drawings I would sell or the sum of money I would raise. I’m still surprised by this!
“I would like the money to be spent how the staff think best. I know they will make a good choice for patients, staff and the unit overall. I would like to thank them so much for everything they have done for me. They really are remarkable people. I would also like to thank everyone who encouraged me with my art and for buying so much of it and for the donations of all the frames sent to me.”
Gayle Little, Associate Breast Cancer CNS NHS D&G, said:
“We’re delighted to receive this donation from Shirley, and it’s made all the more special as it’s come from the sale of her own art. A big thank you to Shirley from staff at the unit.
“It’s always exciting for us to have a donation to do something for our patients and the unit as whole. We have some ideas to consider and we’ll make a decision in the coming weeks.”
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