Concert Raises £760 for Royal Berkshire Hospital's Mobile Breast Screening Vans

A historic concert involving two large choirs has brought women's safety closer in Berkshire, with nearly one hundred singers coming together to raise funds for critical medical equipment. The Reading Male Voice choir, a 60-strong entity, partnered with the award-winning ladies' choir, the Barberettes, at All Saints' Church in Reading. This collaboration raised £760, a significant contribution towards the £30,000 still required in the £130,000 campaign to update the breast screening vans. These mobile units are crucial for early cancer detection, touring central and West Berkshire to offer very early detection of cancer to women aged 50-70.

Key Takeaways:

• The concert, featuring the Reading Male Voice choir and the award-winning Barberettes, raised £760 towards the £30,000 still needed in the £130,000 campaign to update the Royal Berkshire Hospital's mobile breast screening vans.
• The breast screening service is run by an all-women team of mammographers who visit sites on a three-year cycle, offering screening to women between 50 and 70 years old.
• The new machines for breast screening offer state-of-the-art sensitivity and are more comfortable for patients, according to Martin Butler, Community and Events Manager of the hospital's charity.
• The Barberettes, winners of the Let's Sing in Reading competition three times, are celebrating their 50th anniversary and will participate in an international choral competition in the south of France in July.
• Clive Waterman, musical director of the male voice choir, praised the Barberettes for being "great entertainers" and for the good cause, they were a pleasure to sing with.
• The concert at All Saints' Church was sponsored by the hospital's charity, which raises money to fund developments in the hospital.

Statistics:

• £760: Amount raised from the concert towards the £130,000 campaign to update the breast screening vans
• £30,000: Amount still needed for the campaign
• £130,000: Total amount required to update the breast screening vans
• 3 years: Cycle of visits by the breast screening service
• 50-70 years: Age range of women eligible for breast screening
• 100: Number of singers participating in the concert
• 60: Number of singers in the Reading Male Voice choir
• 3: Number of times the Barberettes have won the Let's Sing in Reading competition

Sources:

• Reading Male Voice choir and the award-winning Barberettes' concert
• Royal Berkshire Hospital's charity
• All Saints' Church
• Let's Sing in Reading competition
• Martin Butler, Community and Events Manager of the hospital's charity
• Clive Waterman, musical director of the male voice choir
• Emma Lelliot, music director of the Barberettes