The £25,000 grant – paid in annual instalments of £5,000 for five years – to support cancer nurses was a ‘no-brainer’, said the charity. "We are giving nurses a bursary to go towards different training and education, study days and events,’ said MUG Chairman Chris Walker. 

"Nurses are missing out on some education because it costs so much to go off-island,  which has a negative impact  on the whole patient care, so  we thought if we can get some  money together, we can provide that."

About 18 nurses will benefit from the bursary, which was raised primarily through MUG’s Beard Up campaign in November, as well as from individual, group and corporate donations. 

The idea to create the bursary came from MUG Council Member Owen Cole, who is a consultant urologist and works closely with Bulstrode House at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.  "It can be expensive to attend conferences and training events which are often held in the UK, but these activities are so important to ensure staff develop in their roles," said lead cancer nurse Lucy Coggon. 

"Participating in events in the UK also allows the opportunity to meet colleagues in similar roles and share ideas about new ways of working and service improvements that help benefit patient care." She added that the bursary could be used for anything from conferences to practical skills sessions.