Lancaster cancer charity aims to see donations double with special week-long festive campaign

The Big Give Christmas Challenge runs from November 28 to December 5 and aims to help charities maximise their impact by match funding donations made during the course of the week.

CancerCare provides free, professional therapies for people across north Lancashire and south Cumbria coping with cancer and bereavement, such as Sue Godward from Morecambe whose world was turned upside down when tests revealed she had colorectal cancer.

“It was very scary,” sue said. “Everything was happening so quickly. I am normally a very confident and bubbly person but that all changed following the diagnosis.

“I was always very body confident and used to enjoy wearing bikinis on the beach, but I had to have major surgery to treat the cancer and my body changed a lot. It left me unable to walk and I felt disfigured with all the stitches and the stoma. I developed a very negative image of myself."

Sue got in touch with CancerCare and they arranged for her to have massage and reflexology sessions with therapist Angela Pollard at their Slynedales Centre in Lancaster.

“It’s been absolutely amazing,” Sue said. “Being able to talk to Angela helped me to feel so much better about myself. She helped me to improve my walking and literally helped me get back on my feet. She helped me get my sparkle back!

"At CancerCare, I felt like I was being looked after during a really bad time. I can’t thank them enough for being there when I needed it the most.”

CancerCare fundraiser Anna Webster said: “It’s our mission to make sure no one in our community has to cope with cancer or bereavement alone but we can only do that with the help of local people.

“Donations made to CancerCare during the Big Give Challenge from November 28 to December 5 will be doubled, meaning that we can make double the difference to people needing our support over the festive season which is often a particularly difficult time for people coping with serious illness and loss.”

To find out more about the campaign and to make a donation, go online at https://cancercare.org.uk/get-involved/the-big-give-2023