“[The nurses] are so fantastic. There's so much of it [cancer] now... I have three of my friends older than me, diagnosed with breast cancer, another friend in her 60s, diagnosed with breast cancer, another friend diagnosed with breast cancer... and that was all last year. My grandmother died at 90 with cancer... 

"I said to Lucy Coggon [Lead Cancer Nurse] that I wanted to do something for the cancer ward and she thought about it and she came up with this idea.” 

Anne said she wanted to give something back, because the staff all made her feel so welcome. 

"Michael was happy to come here and enjoyed his treatment. Everybody was so cheerful." 

Pictured: Ten chairs have been donated to the Bulstrode Unit. 

People can be in the chairs from anywhere between half an hour to eight hours a day.  

“It's tricky to get a balance of chairs that suit different sizes for different types of people,” said Nurse Coggon. 

“The chairs we had previously... we only had four that reclined... and they were always really popular. But now we've got new ones and all 10 recline.” 

She said some of the old chairs used to have rounded arms, which was a design issue they no longer have. 

“One thing that's really important for us is that the arms of the chair are quite wide, because with chemotherapy we might need to inject into their arm, and a lot of the chairs [used to be] rounded so your arm would slip off.” 

The new chairs also have USB ports for people who want to charge their phones, listen to music or watch something on a laptop or tablet. 

Pictured: The late Michael Hutchings was a former Director of Education in Guernsey, and his family’s estate also donated to St John in 2021. 

“The staff and patients in Bulstrode Oncology Unit are grateful to Anne for her generosity in funding new furniture for the department. This includes visitor chairs and furniture for the quiet room as well as the treatment chairs in the lounge area,” said a spokesperson for Health and Social Care. 

“The day unit provides outpatient services to adults with a cancer diagnosis and treatment sessions can last up to 8 hours, so it is important that the chairs are comfortable for people to sit in for long periods.  All the new treatment chairs are remote control operated and rise and recline which can assist people to get up when they are attached to a drip.  They also have a footrest for comfort. 

 “In addition, they all have a USB Port so patients can charge their laptops or mobile telephone whilst undergoing treatment.  This has been a welcome feature as patients may choose to work, watch a film, listen to music, or stay in contact with friends and family during their treatment.” 

Pictured top: (L-R) Helen Robinson, Manager of Bulstrode Oncology Unit; Anne Hutchings; Nurse Coggon.