Fundraising appeal for children's surgery robot launched
01 July 2011
An appeal to raise £1.5 million to buy the first robotic operating system for children and babies in Southern England was launched by The Children's Hospital Trust Fund on 29 June.
The Pluto Appeal is part of the Children's Sunshine Appeal at Chelsea and Westminster which aims to raise £5 million towards our brand new children's hospital, due to open to patients in early 2012.
It has been named to tie in with the planet names of our children's wards and to help children and parents identify with the concept of robotic surgery.
Jason Bradbury, who approached The Children's Hospital Trust Fund to offer his help when he heard about the appeal, launched a revolutionary fundraising website idea at the event.
The idea is based on the 'million dollar website' concept which means that pixels of the robot can be bought for £1 at www.theplutoappeal.com.
The charity was lent a surgical robot for the event which was demonstrated by Mr Munther Haddad, one of the country's leading paediatric surgeons who pioneered endoscopic surgery.
Entertainment for the evening included a live gadget auction conducted by Jason Bradbury and various robotic acts including R2D2 and Titan the Robot.
Celebrity guests attended the launch event including singer and actor Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who had both her children at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, actor John Hannah, Nancy Dell'Olio, and Phil and Paul Hartnoll of electronic band Ortibal.
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- For more information, please contact The Children's Hospital Trust Fund on 020 3315 8956 or visit their website www.chtrustfund.org.uk
Photo (above left): A demonstration of the robot
Photo (above right): Munther Haddad (Paediatric Surgeon, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital) speaks as Jason Bradbury looks on