The Tim Bacon Foundation donated £68,000 to Maggie’s Manchester and have pledged 10% of all future fundraising.
Sinead Collins, Centre Head, told us the impact this has had: “The support of TBF has made an incredible difference to us by helping to increase our services, meaning we can be here for even more people with cancer and their family and friends. We’re so grateful to everyone who has worked hard to set up the foundation and support it – what a special thing to do in Tim’s memory. “
Maggie’s offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer along with their families and friends. Help is offered to anyone with any type of cancer and people can drop-in any time. The Centre is a warm, welcoming place for people to meet others or sit quietly with a cup of tea. It also offers the support of a full team of qualified professionals to help people find their way through the difficult cancer journey.
Typically Maggie’s Manchester receives over 100 visits a day from people facing cancer and their loved ones. The £68,000 donated by the foundation has kept the centre open for over 34 days.
These are people like, Katie, aged 31, who has incurable cancer and has been a regular visitor to Maggie’s for over a year. Katie explained how Maggie’s has helped her:
“When I first walked into Maggie’s I immediately felt it was a safe space where I could talk about things that really scared me and where there was no need to put on a brave face. I felt I had bottled up all my feelings over time so as soon as someone said “are you ok?” I immediately burst into tears. It was great that they just listened to everything I said and it made me feel acknowledged, I felt at home straight away. When in the Centre I’m happiest just sitting around the kitchen table talking to other Centre Visitors. As my cancer is incurable and could come back at any time, the ‘Where Now?’ course has really helped me to adjust to my new life and the uncertainties ahead. There is a great community here and when you spend time here together it’s not just about receiving support but giving it too. Maggie’s makes me feel grounded, I don’t feel a victim here just another person.”