A charity which has raised more than £5m to support the Friarage is launching a major new campaign to bring eye surgery to the Northallerton hospital.
The Friends of the Friarage charity is urging the community to back its Eye Appeal, which aims to raise £200,000 for vitreo-retinal (VR) treatment.
The appeal is in support of the Friarage's new £35m Surgical Hub, which is now under construction, and due to open in 2025.
VR treatment is available at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but, if the charity can raise £200,000 for the equipment, the eye team will be able to offer the service at the Friarage, meaning patients can be treated closer to home.
More than a quarter of the people waiting for treatment at James Cook come from Hambleton and Richmondshire.
A spokesperson for the Friends of the Friarage, which has a long history of investing in new technologies and treatments to improve healthcare in the area, said the charity is "excited to get started with this amazing fundraising opportunity".
Volunteers hope the public will support the appeal through donations, fundraising activities or helping to spread awareness.
To launch the appeal, a special event is being held at the Town Hall in Northallerton on Wednesday, February 21, with members of the public encouraged to come along and see how they can get involved.
The event runs from 6.30pm to 8pm and includes a presentation from the Friarage Eye Department on what the VR treatment involves and the benefits it will bring.
More information about the appeal is available here or email hello@friendsofthefriarage.org.uk.
To donate to the appeal, click here.
The Friends of the Friarage has raised more than £5m over the past 65 years through the support of the community. Donations go directly to the hospital to benefit the patients and staff. In recent years the charity has donated £500,000 towards the purchase of an MRI scanner, created an on-site academic centre that trains medical professionals of the future, and established a dialysis unit based at the Friarage as well as helping to purchase other state-of-the-art technology to enhance patient care.
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