Fitzbillies hosts party to launch Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust’s 30th birthday celebrations

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) launched its 30th birthday celebrations with a gathering of fundraisers and hospital staff – all directly involved with the charity’s work – with a party at Fitzbillies in Cambridge.

To mark the milestone, Fitzbillies hosted the celebrations at its shop and tea rooms in Trumpington Street on 15 May and unveiled a special window display which will be there for customers to see until September.

For its 30th year ACT, the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, is asking fundraisers to ‘pour a little kindness’ for the hospitals by hosting a fundraising tea party.

ACT funds equipment and research, as well as improvements to the environment for both staff and patients, beyond what the NHS can provide – and in the past 30 years it has invested more than £150million in the hospitals. Many who raise funds do so as a result of care either they or family members or friends have received at the hospitals.

ACT is also behind two major public campaigns to support two new groundbreaking hospitals in the city – Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital and the Cambridge Children’s Hospital.

Speaking at the celebrations, ACT’s chief executive Shelly Thake said: “With Fitzbillies’ kind support it means two much-loved institutions within the city can join forces to raise money for a very special cause.

“Anyone wanting to host their own tea party for Addenbrooke’s can use Fitzbillies’ own recipes for their popular chocolate cake and scones which are included in a special tea party pack which can be ordered on our website.”

Fitzbillies owners Tim Hayward and partner Alison Wright said it was an easy decision to support ACT after Tim was admitted to Addenbrooke’s in November 2020 with Covid-19. He required treatment using a ventilator, suffered a pulmonary embolism, was discharged after a month having spent 14 days in a coma, and later described himself as “lucky to have lived”.

In a moving speech, he said: “My gratitude to Addenbrooke’s knows no bounds. I wouldn’t be here without the excellent staff and support of the hospital. Thank goodness for world-class care and the fantastic work of ACT. Long may it continue.”

Co-owner Alison, who won a lifetime achievement award in the Cambridge Independent Business Awards 2024 for rescuing the 104-year-old iconic bakery and café, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting such a wonderful organisation this summer. So many of our customers have a connection to Addenbrooke’s, either as residents of Cambridge or as medical or research staff at the hospital.

“The work of saving and improving lives is vital, and Fitzbillies is honoured to be able to contribute even in a small way during this milestone year of the charity. We love any excuse for cake, and we hope that our chocolate cupcake will raise plenty for ACT in July.”

Fitzbillies has designed a 30th birthday chocolate cupcake for ACT and for each one sold in July, it will donate £1 to the charity. In addition, Fitzbillies will donate 20 per cent of sales from the Addenbrooke’s collection of tea party items including scones, jam and cream, which can be found on its website.

Guests at the event had a personal involvement in ACT and stories to tell. Fundraiser Joyce Cripps and husband John are close to raising £30,000 by the end of the year. Joyce has pledged to fundraise for ACT “to the end of my days” after daughter Julie Halls underwent a lifesaving liver transplant at Addenbrooke’s.

Consultant colorectal and robotic surgeon Atanu Pal ran a 26-mile virtual London Marathon during Covid to support ACT’s £1.5million appeal to buy a da Vinci Xi dual-console surgical system for the hospital.

He said: “Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust has a huge impact in our hospitals, on a daily and ongoing basis, for patients and staff. When I think back to my run, proudly wearing my ACT running shirt, I remember passing some of Cambridge’s most iconic landmarks – beautiful university buildings, the river, and of course Fitzbillies – my go-to for sweet treats as a medical student!

“I cannot stress enough how much of a difference ACT and their supporters make to the lives of those in our two hospitals and I am delighted to be here to celebrate the 30th birthday of such an important charity.”

Ingela Oberg, lead cancer nurse at CUH, spoke to guests about the cancer services ACT had directly funded.

She said: “Over the last few years, ACT has transformed cancer services by funding projects such as the outpatients’ garden to allow cancer patients a quiet haven away from the hospital, a state-of-the-art surgical robot allowing minimally-invasive surgery for prostate patients, a modern haematology day unit for patients with blood cancers allowing 200 more patients to be seen every month, two ECP machines to treat the terrible side effects following bone marrow transplantation, and a ‘Biopsee’ machine to diagnose and identify prostate cancer.”

Senior midwives Annie West, Tanya Cole and Becky Anderson were part of a team that tackled Snowdon in 2023 and the Yorkshire Three Peaks in 2024 and raised more than £8,000 for ACT.

Annie said: “We’ve had ultrasound scanners and cots bought for us by ACT so we get to see first-hand what money is being spent on, which is why we decided to take on two challenges to raise some money ourselves. Knowing how important ACT is to the hospital is what kept us going during both challenges and to know we raised over £8,000 is such a satisfying feeling.”

To host a tea party for Addenbrooke’s, order your pack from act4addenbrookes.org.uk/events/act-tea-party.

Afternoon tea party items from the Addenbrooke’s collection can be found on the Fitzbillies website.