Maggies Centres

Rotarians’ £5000 boost for Maggie’s

MAGGIE’S knows that starting cancer treatment can feel overwhelming – and so, with a £5000 boost from the , the cancer support centre is poised to expand the reach of its 2019 workshop programme to 450 visitors, families and friends.

Rotary club president is pictured presenting centre head Alison Allan (left) and fund-raising manager Tu Edwards with the club’s donation in the latest five-figure round of disbursements from its charity trust fund.

A delighted Alison said, “This is a sizeable donation towards our work and we are grateful to the Rotarians and all who supported them to raise such an impressive amount. This donation will help fund sessions like our ‘Getting Started with Cancer’ workshops, which are run in partnership with the NHS.

“Being diagnosed with cancer can be a scary and uncertain time. Starting treatment can feel overwhelming, as many people are unsure about what to expect. So this workshop has been developed to help visitors and their families and friends better understand their cancer treatment and how to manage its side-effects.

“It is a one-off, 90-minute workshop in groups of up to 20 and allows participants to raise any particular concerns they have about coping with their treatment plan, and to share their thoughts with other people in similar situations.”

In 2018 Maggie’s saw 366 people at ‘Getting Started with Cancer’ workshops. With a 200 uptake already this year, the centre expects to receive 450 attendees by the end of 2019.

Alison added, “Research has shown that individuals who participate in these types of groups experience an improvement in their mood and quality of life. They are more likely to adopt a hopeful and determined attitude which can, in turn, have a positive effect on how they handle their treatment and other areas of their lives. Maggie’s runs a number of different workshops and networking groups. If anyone is interested in finding out more, I would welcome them to get in touch.”

Mr Sunter noted, "Directly or indirectly, personally or through family and friends, we are all impacted by cancer at some stage in our lives.

"We in the are only too delighted to be of support to this very special team in , volunteers and professional alike, who are doing so much to help so many now, and so many more in the future."

Maggie’s Fife is located on the grounds of the , Kirkcaldy. The charity relies on voluntary donations to support and grow its network of centres and to develop its unique, high-quality programme of support. Its aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.

To find out more about Maggie’s Fife and learn how the Centre supports people living with cancer across Fife, visit the centre at Victoria Hospital or get in touch on 01592 647997 or via fife@maggiescentres.org.

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For more information please contact:

Louise Duncan, 01592 643355 ext 28868, louise.duncan@maggiescentres.org

For further information about Maggie’s please go to

www.maggiescentres.org/fife

Follow Maggie’s on Facebook for the latest news and stories and tweet us @maggiesfife

About Maggie’s

·         Maggie’s offers free practical and emotional support for all people living with cancer, and their family and friends. Built in the grounds of specialist NHS cancer hospitals, Maggie’s Centres are warm and welcoming places, with qualified professionals on hand to offer a programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

·         Great architecture is vital to the care Maggie’s offers; and to achieve that Maggie’s works with great architects like the late Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and Norman Foster, whose expertise and experience deliver the calm, uplifting environments that are so important to the people who visit and work in the Centres.

·         The first Maggie’s Centre opened in in 1996. There are now 21 Centres across the and abroad, with more planned for the future. Maggie’s also has an Online Centre.

·         Maggie’s relies on voluntary donations to support and grow its network of Centres and to develop its unique, high quality programme of support. The charity’s aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.

·         2017 marked Maggie’s 21^st anniversary

·         Maggie’s President is HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

·         For further information about Maggie’s please go to www.maggiescentres.org