Family of man who died of skin cancer help raise £58k for mole-checking machine at Solihull Hospital

The family and friends of a man who died from skin cancer have raised a staggering £58,000 for equipment to combat the disease. 

Mike Hull, who died from melanoma aged 67 in March 2022, began the fund-raising campaign after being diagnosed. And wife Carol, friends and family continued the good work through a raft of fundraisers. 

Mike, from Droitwich, and the team sold cakes, bracelets and served up Saturday morning bacon and sausage baps at their local football club. The result of their labours – a state-of-the-art “mole checking machine” was presented to Solihull Hospital just before Christmas. 

Carol said: “Seeing the machine in action means so much to me, because it's my promise fulfilled to Mike. I'm over the moon, I just wish he had been here to see us hit the target. 

"I am incredibly grateful for every teddy bear and bracelet sold, every sausage and bacon bap sold, every quiz held and every other event along the way which went into making this a reality.  I just know that this mole-mapping machine is going to help so many people. It's going to save lives, Mike's legacy, it's what he wanted, and we've finally done it.” 

The life-saving machine enables early detection of melanoma through high-resolution digital technology which create a map of the body, pin-pointing any suspicious looking moles. 

They can then be closely and precisely monitored over time, and as a result, any issues can be identified and treated sooner. 

Next to the machine is a plaque that states: “With grateful thanks to all who helped Mike reach his goal to buy a machine so that others might achieve early detection of melanoma skin cancer.” 

Martin Richardson, Hospital Executive Director for Solihull Hospital, said: “We’re thrilled to receive the mole-mapping machine and have it housed here at Solihull Hospital. 

“As were the wishes of Mike, the machine and technology will be very helpful for eligible patients to have possible skin cancers detected sooner. We extend our deepest thanks to Carol and all the fundraisers who were involved.”