Proserv Donates Over £9000 to ‘Charity of the Year’ UCAN

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09 October 2015

Proserv, a global-leading energy services company, has donated over £9,000 to support a North East cancer charity.

Employees from the firm’s local bases at Westhill, Echt and Aberdeen have spent much of the past 12 months fundraising for UCAN.

Activities have included a 30-mile off road cycle, golf challenge, coffee and cake sales as well as a Christmas raffle, quiz night and car boot sale.

UCAN is a charity dedicated to raising awareness of urological cancers and was recently successful in its aim to bring Scotland’s first robotically-assisted surgical system to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), with patients now able to undergo surgery using the advanced equipment.

UCAN also runs the drop-in Care Centre at Ward 209 in the pink zone at ARI, which is manned by staff who are on hand to provide support and advice to patients and their families on all aspects of dealing with cancer.

Justine Royle, Chair of UCAN, said: "We would like to thank everyone at Proserv for their efforts in raising funds and awareness of our charity. The robotic system is an incredibly advanced piece of medical equipment and the technology involved is similar to that used every day in the oil and gas industry. It is now in place and making a real difference to the lives of many people in the north of Scotland.”

Proserv’s charities’ committee chose UCAN as charity of the year as the organisation’s work struck a chord with its predominantly male workforce, while robotic surgery will benefit future generations of patients who need a specialist operation.

Stephen Cox at Proserv said: "These pioneering robotic systems are the next step in keyhole surgery and as a company that develops next generation technology for the offshore industry, we were keen to help UCAN support patients by providing the latest innovations to support those in need of a specialised operation.

"A lot of effort went in throughout the year from staff across all our bases in the North East of Scotland. It is a privilege to be able to support such a worthwhile organisation that raises awareness of urological cancers and helps to improve the support and quality of life for individuals and families who are affected by them.”

The chief fundraising effort was a sponsored cycle from Braemar to Blair Atholl that involved 20 members of staff endure a gruelling off-road route. The cycle took over six hours to complete and passed through Linn of Dee, White Bridge and Glen Tilt.

In total, Proserv donated £9384.65 to UCAN. Proserv’s bases around the globe all raise funds for charities local to their respective regions. The company operates worldwide through 27 operating centres based in 11 countries. Proserv has a 40-year track record in delivering world-class solutions for the energy industry, particularly in the drilling, production and subsea market sectors.

Robotically-assisted surgery is currently widely used across the USA and Europe, with around 40 systems in use in England.

It is particularly beneficial for patients with three of the most common cancers - prostate, bowel and bladder – as well as gynaecological cancers and non-malignant conditions. It will also be used in other specialties such as general surgery, ENT, cardiac and paediatric surgery.