The team behind the Rodney Cook Memorial Rally (RCMR) have once again turned their love of metal detecting into something extraordinary, recently donating over £40,000 to help RUHX’s campaign to bring a state-of-the-art PET-CT Scanner to the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH Bath).
Founded in 2018 by Gary Cook, the Rodney Cook Memorial Rally honours the memory of his father, Rodney Cook. Rodney sadly passed away at the RUH Bath in 2017 after his battle with cancer. Driven by a heartfelt commitment to supporting Cancer Services, Gary ensures that proceeds from ticket sales, raffles and other event activities go towards helping others who are cared for at the RUH, as well as supporting other local causes.
The rally has now grown into the largest metal detecting event in Europe, drawing enthusiasts from around the globe. In 2025 the team of volunteers did it slightly differently, organising not one but three ‘no frills’ weekends in Wiltshire over autumn.
Laura Snell, Events & Community Manager at RUHX says:
“Gary and the RCMR team are living proof that when ordinary hard-working people come together, they can achieve extraordinary things. Their dedication is inspiring and their determination to help others shines through in the fantastic events they put on. We are incredibly grateful to the RCMR team, their volunteer marshals and the landowners who make it all possible and the passionate community of detectorists, who travel far and wide and support so generously.”
Since the rally began, they have raised an incredible £280,000 for patients, families and staff at the RUH Bath. Their commitment to Cancer Services helped make the Dyson Cancer Centre a reality in 2024 and will now help bring a new state-of-the-art PET-CT Scanner to the hospital.
Gary Cook, founder of the event, from Westbury in Wiltshire said:
“The staff who cared for my father at the RUH were quite simply incredible, caring, and wonderful people. I felt compelled to try and do something to raise some money for RUHX to repay that kindness. So, from something awful, the RCM Rally was born.
The new PET-CT Scanner is more than just a machine. It represents hope, early diagnosis and giving thousands of patients the chance for faster, more accurate treatment when time matters most.
The Rodney Cook Memorial Rally will be back in 2026, helping to change lives for cancer patients in Bath and beyond and continuing Rodney Cook’s legacy of making a difference.
To find out more about the campaign visit: www.ruhx.org.uk
