NETBALLERS from across the town are gunning for success at a big charity netball tournament next month.

Great Western Hospital staff will be turning out in their droves along with players from amateur clubs in the area to raise money for the Brighter Futures radiotherapy appeal.

Ten teams have entered ahead of the competition at Dorcan Leisure Centre on July 21, but more spaces are still available.

Caroline Tandy, a clinical lead on electronic observations at the hospital, is organising the event. She said: “I play a lot of netball in Swindon and thought it would be a good idea to organise a team event. It would be nice to raise money for the hospital and support hospital staff.

“I enjoy playing and watching it and fun leagues in Swindon help people who want to get back into it, so it’s a good community really. It’ll be a fun day of netball while raising money for a great cause.”

Caroline captains the Brighter Futures team, whose training bibs were recently sponsored by Malborough graphic design company Mole to help them practice for the tournament.

The charity team is mostly made up of NHS staff who play in a fun league each week. Funds will be raised through a £50 team entry fee while donations of refreshments are sold throughout the day. Members of the public are invited to enjoy the spectacle and enter a raffle at the event.

Caroline’s father-in-law John Tandy was given the all-clear after cancer treatment, but had to travel to Churchill Hospital in Oxford to receive the services he needed.

Caroline said: “It would be great if people didn’t have to make a 70-mile round trip to receive their treatment. They end up spending a lot of time in traffic and it impacts quite heavily physically as well as mentally. We want the radiotherapy centre in Swindon so patients don’t have to go elsewhere.”

Brighter Futures began its radiotherapy appeal back in 2015. With the help of hard-working staff and community fundraisers it has managed to raise over £2.3 million. By raising an extra £600,000, which it hopes to do by the end of the year, the charity can fund clinical equipment for a new radiotherapy unit at GWH.

Oxford University Hospitals is investing £18 million for the facility itself. The development will allow Swindon cancer patients to be treated closer to home and thereby reduce their stress during recovery.

To enter a team into the netball tournament and support the cause, visit http://www.entrycentral.com/bfnetball