Hi Everyone
Well done to Claire for her win in this week’s Lockdown competition with her lovely colourful image of the Kayaks! Something that brightened us up during these cold dark days.
PCC News of the Week:
Last night was a really interesting evening with Victor showing us what can be achieved using Photoshop and other software packages to change our images – as usual a lot of banter and some questions making for a very enjoyable evening. Thanks Victor for all your efforts pulling your presentation together – great insights gained!
Meetings
1) Next week we have a Member Presentation evening so stand by your jaypegs !
2) As mentioned last week, coming up on the 27th February at 7.30pm, there is a Zoom presentation organised by the Cornwall Photographic Alliance (CPA), for the benefit of all Cornish club members. It is a wildlife photography show by an award winning photographer Will Burrard-Lucas with more details below. PCC has always been great supporters of these events in the past and at only £3, I do hope we have a good take-up. In the first instance just let me know by email if you are interested and I’ll advise joining details. http://cornwall-photographic-alliance.co.uk/nextevent.html
Competition News
1) Anyone wishing to enter the WCPF Knightshayes Trophy subject “Togetherness” still just has time to enter two FREE images, with a final hand in date of Sat 13th February - contact me if you need any help.
2) Next Lockdown subject is “Happiness” so go for it !!
3) The WCPF DPIC (Inter Club) competition results are in with some pretty stunning images which can be viewed by clicking the various tabs here. http://photoexhib.co.uk/wcpfdpic/results-2021/results.htm
Now over to Liz Richardson, who (being employed in this sector) has pulled together a highly informative piece about the role that Radiography plays in the Health Service.
Regards Derek Radiotherapy in Cornwall At The Sunrise Centre By Liz Richardson
In Cornwall we are lucky to have two state of the art radiotherapy machines called Truebeam Linear Accelerators. This is in part due to the generosity of the Cornish people donating to the Sunrise Appeal, which to date has raised over £3 million towards the cost of new, up to date equipment for the oncology department. Before the Sunrise Centre opened in 2002 many Cornish people travelled to Plymouth for part or all of their radiotherapy treatment, adding an extra complication to an already stressful time. A daily trip to Plymouth for several weeks is not easy at the best of times.
As well as our Linacs (linear accelerators) we have our own CT scanner, known as Big Phil (because it is made by Phillips). Phil produces scans which are then used by physicists and planning technicians to produce individual plans for radiotherapy. Techniques called IGRT (image guided radiotherapy) and IMRT (intensity modulated radiotherapy) are then used to deliver radiotherapy with extreme accuracy of within 3mm.
For anyone interested in the technology, radiotherapy is a type of treatment using very high energy x-rays, produced when electrons are accelerated very quickly towards a metal target. This beam of x-rays can then be shaped and customised as they exit the machine. This beam of x-rays in then delivered to the patient as the gantry moves around them in an arc. It is completely painless and very quick, although all the technology can seem a bit daunting at first. A small superficial x-ray machine completes the line up. This, as the name suggests, treats superficial skin cancers in a few visit and usually produces better cosmetic results than surgery. It is a well used machine here in Cornwall as we have a higher than average incidence of skin cancer.
Covid has obviously had a huge impact this year on staff, patients and the service as a whole. Although numbers in Cornwall have been fairly low, until recently, there have been many changes. Many appointments are now conducted by phone or video to reduce footfall. Temperature checks and security guards have become the norm and of course we have all had to get used to wearing PPE!
All that aside, radiotherapy has continue as normal throughout the pandemic with as little disruption to people’s treatment as possible. Thinking outside the box has produced some innovative changes and improvements which we will continue in a new and hopefully better new year.
Reduced seating capacity in waiting rooms to allow social distancing
Paintings donated by artist John Miller brighten waiting areas Hopefully you found this interesting and informative
Regards Liz