St. Mark's Hospital Foundation

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Charity supporting research, education & innovation at St Mark's, the UK's national bowel hospital. RCN 1140930

03/11/2026

✨Fundraising as a family✨

🎉Join us in congratulating St Mark's community fundraisers, Abi and Izzy! The sisters summited Snowdon this September and have raised an incredible £8,749 for St Mark's Hospital Foundation—with donations still coming in.⛰️🥾

The pair completed this challenge in support of their brother, Max, who was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer earlier this year. At only 26 years old, Max's cancer was caused by MUTYH- Associated polyposis (MAP), a rare genetic condition that significantly increases an individual's risk of colorectal cancer. 🧬

🔬By funding specialist research at the National Bowel Hospital, St Mark's Hospital Foundation is helping our clinical colleagues develop cutting-edge treatment options and create a better future for everyone affected by MAP and other complex, and rare, bowel diseases.

❤️We are very grateful for Abi and Izzy's dedication to helping us make a difference for even more patients like Max and even more families like theirs.

30/10/2026

🔬Showcasing the Breadth of Our Research

Over three days at the ESCP 21st Scientific Meeting, St Mark’s clinicians had conversations with colleagues from other centres of excellence around the world and shared their expertise and ground-breaking research with the wider medical community. 🤝

🗣️St Mark's consultants and research fellows were invited to present their research on a range of topics, including:

💠Using virtual reality simulations to improve surgical training
💠Measuring patients' work-related outcomes after surgery for ulcerative colitis
💠Comparing treatment options for rectovaginal fistulae
💠Managing complications after J-pouch surgery

🎁With the help of our donors, St Mark’s Hospital Foundation is proud to support research projects like these that allow the National Bowel Hospital to maintain its international position as a centre of excellence for gastroenterology and colorectal surgery.

🔗Learn more about St Mark's at ESCP 2026: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/news/st-marks-clinicians-at-the-european-society-of-coloproctology-2026-scientific-meeting/

28/10/2026

✨Pushing Boundaries for the Future✨

Our clinical colleagues are carrying forward Professor John Nicholls' and St Mark's legacy of leadership and clinical excellence by continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible for patients and helping develop the next major innovations in the field of gastroenterology and colorectal surgery. 🔬💉

🎉We are incredibly proud to announce that St Mark’s Consultant Surgeon, Ms Carolynne Vaizey, has been appointed President in Waiting of the ESCP. Ms Vaizey has been involved with the ESCP for 14 years after attending her first conference in Vienna and will soon play a pivotal role in bringing together the European colorectal community.

🎉Congratulations as well to St Mark’s Consultant Surgeon and Director of Innovation, Mr Kapil Sahnan, who was recently appointed Chair of the ESCP AI Working Group. The newly established group will focus on the role of artificial intelligence in coloproctology, bringing together top specialists to explore how AI can support research, education and clinical practice.

By taking on international leadership positions, St Mark's Consultants can share the latest research and best practice developed at St Mark’s more widely and help accelerate better outcomes for people with bowel disease all over the world. 💪🌍

🔗Learn more about St Mark's at ESCP 2026: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/news/st-marks-clinicians-at-the-european-society-of-coloproctology-2026-scientific-meeting/

26/10/2026

🏆 Recognising a Legacy of Excellence

Congratulations to retired St Mark's colorectal surgeon, Professor John Nicholls, for receiving the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) Lifetime Achievement Award. 🏅

This award honours someone whose career has made exceptional and enduring contributions to the field of coloproctology and to the international colorectal community. Highlights from Professor Nicholls remarkable career include:

⚕️Developing the ileo-anal pouch—the current gold standard for the surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis

🔬Creating the world’s first pre-operative staging system for cancer that determines future treatment pathways

👨‍⚕️Bringing together the international medical community as a founding member of the European Society of Coloproctology

At St Mark's, nearly 200 years of accumulated experience has been passed from one generation to the next, giving the hospital unrivalled expertise in the treatment and management of bowel diseases. Professor Nicholls is an integral part of this legacy, and it is wonderful to see his work recognised on an international stage.

👏From everyone at St Mark's Hospital Foundation, our warmest congratulations to Professor Nicholls on this thoroughly deserved achievement.

👀Keep an eye out for more highlights from St Mark's at ESCP later this week!

21/10/2026

✨For nurses, by nurses✨

St Mark's Hospital Foundation is proud to have supported our nursing colleagues with the first Colorectal Genomics Masterclass for Nursing at St Mark's.🎓

The course brought together nurses and healthcare professionals from across the UK to learn, share experiences, exchange ideas and build confidence in the rapidly evolving world of colorectal genetics and genomics. 🧬🩺

🥼🧪From genomic testing, family history and Lynch syndrome to polyposis, cascade testing and complex clinical scenarios, the masterclass focused on turning genomic knowledge into practical skills that can support patients and families.

By sharing their expertise, St Mark's nurses are helping build genomic knowledge across the wider colorectal nursing community.

❤️🔬By supporting this work and helping disseminate the clinical best practice and ground-breaking research developed at the National Bowel Hospital, St Mark's Hospital Foundation helps ensure that even more patients and their families have access to the best possible standards of care.

🔗Read more about the St Mark's Colorectal Genomics Masterclass for Nursing and other education we support: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/news/st-marks-nurses-share-their-expertise-at-the-colorectal-genomics-masterclass/

16/10/2026

✨St Mark's patients carry our impact with them✨

We are incredibly proud of St Mark's patient and fourth year med student, Oliver Kaye, who was selected to speak at TEDxNHS this month about his experience living with ulcerative colitis and a stoma bag. 🎉

💩His talk sought to challenge social norms around p**p and normalise conversations about bowel disease and bowel health. Oliver shared his thoughts with the Foundation:

🗣️"It was a real privilege to stand on the TEDx red circle, at TEDxNHS 2026, to talk about the importance of normalising conversations around our bowel health. So, that no one suffers in silence and everyone feels able to get the treatment they need and deserve.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity and to tell my story. It is a story I would not have been able to tell without the care, research and remarkable people at St Mark’s Hospital, who saved my life and have played such an important part in my journey to this day. No one should feel ashamed or uncomfortable to seek medical help or for living with a bowel condition."

14/10/2026

St Mark's medical student, Satvika Adiki, is looking to make a real difference for patients with fatigue related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). 💪

Fatigue is a debilitating symptom characterised by extreme tiredness that does not go away with rest. 70% of patients with Crohn's or colitis experience fatigue during a flare, and 40% of IBD patients experience fatigue when in remission.

🔬Satvika's research—supervised by St Mark's Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Dr Calum Moulton—explores whether Modafinil, a stimulant drug traditionally used to treat narcolepsy, can be used to treat severe fatigue in IBD patients.

🏆Her work was awarded the national Guts UK/Falk Foundation Medical Student Prize in 2026 and represents a promising step toward significantly improving IBD patients’ quality of life.

🔗Learn more about St Mark's research: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/how-we-are-saving-lives-at-st-marks/research-projects/

09/10/2026

❤️Prashant, or Prash as he was known to his family and friends since childhood, was a kind, generous and high-achieving person.

In 2022, his life and his family’s lives were upended by his unexpected bowel cancer diagnosis. Prashant became a patient of St Mark’s Hospital under the care of Mr Ian Jenkins and the Complex Cancer Team.

Tragically, Prashant passed away from his cancer in 2024 at the age of 35. To honour one of his final wishes, his family asked, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made in Prashant’s name to his chosen charities, including St Mark’s Hospital Foundation.

The family set up a memorial page using the online platform, MuchLoved, where loved ones can leave messages, share memories, and fundraise as a tribute to Prashant. His family and friends have revisited the page on Prashant’s birthday each year and have continued to honour his memory by giving to the charities that meant the most to him in his final days.

❤️We are deeply grateful to our supporters who have given back in this way, and we are honoured to be a part of remembering your loved one.

🔗Hear from the Jethwa family about what fundraising in memory of Prashant means to them at https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/stories/in-memory-of-prashant/

08/10/2026

✨What is memorial fundraising?✨

Memorial fundraising is the practice of donating or asking friends and family to donate to a charitable cause in memory of a loved one. This allows people to keep their loved one’s legacy alive by contributing to a cause they were passionate about.

A memorial donation or event is a meaningful way to celebrate a loved one’s life, and by dedicating it to St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, you are contributing essential funds for our work to create a future free from the fear of bowel disease.

Alec, pictured with his wife Joan, suffered from severe ulcerative colitis, a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and was under the care of St Mark's Hospital for more than 34 years.

After Alec passed away peacefully in 2024, Joan asked family and friends to honour his memory and recognise the hospital that made such a difference throughout his life by making donations to St Mark’s Hospital Foundation.

❤️We are deeply grateful to our supporters who have given back in this way, and we are honoured to be a part of remembering your loved ones.

🔗Learn more about memorial fundraising and read more stories from supporters of St Mark’s Hospital Foundation at https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/how-you-can-get-involved/fundraisinghub/celebrate-life-celebrate-a-life/

06/10/2026

🥳Have you seen our brand-new Fundraising Hub?

🎁If you’ve ever thought about taking on a fundraising challenge or organising an event to raise money for St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, this is for you!

Our community fundraisers are vital partners in our mission to create a future free from the fear of bowel disease. ❤️

📝Find tips for organising a successful event, how-to guides for setting up a JustGiving page and Facebook fundraiser, and information on St Mark’s Hospital to share with your networks—all in one place on our website.

🔗Check it out today: https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/how-you-can-get-involved/fundraisinghub/

Address

St Mark's Hospital, Central Middlesex, Acton Lane
London
NW107NS

Website

https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/, https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/donate/

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