Macmillan Cancer Support is celebrating it's 100th birthday in 2011. I was founded to help to improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support. Working alongside people affected by cancer, Macmillan works to improve cancer care. One in three of us will get cancer. Two million of us are living with it. If you are affected by cancer Macmillan can help.
Macmillan Cancer Support was founded in 1911 by Douglas Macmillan who watched his father die of cancer. His pain and suffering moved Douglas so much that he founded the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer. The aim was to provide advice and information to all people with cancer, homes for patients at low or no cost and for voluntary nurses to attend to patients in their own homes.
One hundred years later and his legacy lives on through the charity which helps individuals and families in Barnsley every day with practical, medical, emotional and financial support.
To mark 100 years of support and campaigning, Macmillan Cancer Support is planning a year of fund-raising activities across the country with a target of £600,000 in South Yorkshire, including Barnsley.
Amy Jukes, fund-raising manager for Barnsley, said: “This year is such an exciting year for Macmillan and our supporters. The centenary is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the charity’s work. So many people know of us due to the wonderful work of the nurses, but Macmillan help people living with cancer through many other ways in addition to the nurses”.
“Our aim for next year is to set up a dedicated fundraising support group in the town as well as hitting the fund-raising target. There are a whole range of events and ways that people can get involved and help us to celebrate the charity’s 100th year. We are also asking companies to join in the celebrations. We have special centenary fundraising packs with merchandise and fundraising ideas for companies”.
As well as patients, Macmillan helps carers, families and communities by guiding people through the system and supporting them every step of the way. Medical help is only one aspect of Macmillan’s work as the charity provides small financial grants to help with the extra heating bills and travel costs.
In Barnsley, there are 28 Macmillan health professionals, plus 4 Welfare Rights Advisors who provide free, impartial advice about benefit entitlements. At Birdwell Clinic Macmillan have funded a large palliative care team which includes community nurses, a dietician, a physio, occupational and speech language therapist
“We currently only reach half of the people living with and beyond cancer but need to do much more. We want to be able to reach every single person who is diagnosed with cancer and to be there for them at every stage of their cancer journey. We rely 99% on donations from the public to fund our services and can not do this without the public support”.
If you would like to hear more about Macmillan’s local plans for the centenary, or think you can help fundraise or volunteer, please contact Amy Hebdon on 01246 810301 or email ahebdon@macmillan.org.uk