Charity raises Â£250,000 to keep 'life-changing' surgical robot in Sheffield

Neurocare advisory board member Rex Caplan and Robert Rusling, from Ackroyd and Abbott, whose donation closed the 250,000 ROSA Robot Appeal

Neurocare has raised the staggering amount in just six months for get the ROSA surgical robot for the Royal Hallamshire – now the only NHS hospital in the country to have the state-of-the-art equipment.

The robot which could transform the lives of thousands of people needing complex brain surgery.

Seven South Yorkshire businessmen led by Rex Caplan, third left, complete their 170 mile bike ride from Morecambe to Bridlington which raised more than 10,000 for the ROSA Robot Appeal.

It provides neurosurgeons with extraordinarily accurate 3D maps of the brain, allowing them to precisely and safely reach areas they could not reach before.

It offers hope for people with poorly controlled epilepsy, deep-seated brain tumours, Parkinson’s Disease and other complex brain disorders.

The ROSA Robot Appeal reached its target this month after seven South Yorkshire businessmen got on their bikes to cycle the 170-miles coast-to-coast route from Morecambe to Bridlington.

The team was led by Rex Caplan, managing director of Sheffield student accommodation providers Capland Properties and a Neurocare advisory board member.

He was joined by Bob Graham, Matt Frolish, James Bruce, Mark James, Steve Corbett and Ian Brazewell supported by driver Richard Wolstenholme.

Their marathon bike ride raised more than £10,000 which took the appeal to just £6,000 below its target – a shortfall made up by Sheffield development and planning consultants Ackroyd and Abbott, run by longstanding Neurocare supporter Robert Rusling.

Mr Caplan said: "The ROSA is the most expensive single item we, as a charity, have ever purchased and we are so very, very grateful to all those individuals, groups of people and companies such as Ackroyd and Abbott that have so very generously supported the appeal.

“Their efforts have ensured that our world-class neurosurgeons in Sheffield have this groundbreaking technology which will transform the lives of so many people.”

Using an advanced computer system, ROSA allows neurosurgeons to create precise 3D maps of a patient’s brain so they can plan the best route for surgery, guiding the robot’s arm and instruments to the exact location of the seizure, tumour or biopsy.

Its pinpoint precision is far less invasive and has the potential to reduce surgery times by as much as 40 per cent, greatly improving recovery and surgical outcomes.