The city’s centre of hope
Help us to raise £1m for Maggie’s Centre at Barts hospital and bring vital cancer care to the City of London
CITY A.M. is committed to raising £1m to help cancer charity Maggie’s bring vital cancer support to the City of London.
The money will help Maggie’s professionally qualified staff deliver the charity’s unique programme of support to people affected by cancer from the City and East London, at a new Maggie’s Centre that is being built in the grounds of Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital in Smithfield.
The new Maggie’s Centre has been designed by world renowned architect Steven Holl and follows in the footsteps of the existing 18 Maggie’s Centres, including a RIBA Stirling prize-winning centre in Hammersmith, West London, in giving people with cancer and their family and friends free practical, emotional and social support.
This afternoon will see a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of the building project, attended by City A.M. co-founder and managing director Lawson Muncaster, Maggie’s chief executive Laura Lee, and other key City figures including Stuart Gulliver, CEO of HSBC.
Lee said: “I’m delighted that construction of a Maggie’s Centre at Barts has been able to start in earnest, bringing us one step closer to the centre opening its doors to bring much needed support to people living and working in the City and East London. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported Maggie’s. The opening of this centre has been made possible thanks to the very generous support of HSBC, City A.M. and the friends of Maggie’s in the City and across London.”
Today’s issue of City A.M. will be buried in a time capsule on the site of the new centre, along with a signed watercolour print by the architect, framed Hong Kong banknotes from HSBC and archive materials from Barts Hospital.
City A.M. has been vocal in the campaign to get the new Maggie’s Centre built at Barts hospital, because the support it will provide is vital for this area of London.
As well as helping people from the City, the new centre will also give much-needed support to the surrounding boroughs, which include some of the most deprived areas in London.
Barts Hospital sees some 5,500 new cancer diagnoses a year from the 19 hospitals across the London cancer North and East network that refer their cancer patients to Barts.
We’re calling on the City to help us raise the £1m that will help Maggie’s help as many of these people affected by cancer as possible.
WHY MAGGIE’S MATTERS
▀ Maggie’s is a charity that builds cancer caring centres in the grounds of specialist NHS cancer hospitals. It provides practical, emotional and social support to people living with cancer and their family and friends.
▀ Maggie’s Centres are warm and welcoming places with qualified professionals on hand to deliver a programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. The centres are unique, welcoming and uplifting places designed to be different from the clinical buildings where people with cancer have their treatment.
▀ Evidence demonstrates that an uplifting environment can reduce stress and anxiety and so great design and architecture are vital to the care Maggie’s offers. Maggie’s works with world-renowned architects to deliver these calm, uplifting environments that are intended to feel more like a home than a hospital.
▀ Every centre employs a team of qualified professionals, including psychologists and benefits advisers, who are on hand to offer a programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.
▀ Over 30,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in London every year. The number of people living with and beyond cancer in London is over 200,000 and this is forecast to double by 2030.
▀ There is currently only one Maggie’s Centre in London, based at Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith. This centre is now nearing full capacity, with annual visitor numbers exceeding 20,000. In order to meet this increased demand, Maggie’s is expanding across the capital and building a second centre at Barts.
▀ Based in the heart of the City, Barts serves a population of over 1.5m Londoners and, as a national cancer referral unit, has world-class cancer treatment facilities along with a pioneering cancer research institute.
FRANK B, MAGGIE’S WEST LONDON CENTRE USER
“Seven years ago I was diagnosed with what is called an oligodendroglioma – it took me a long time to learn that! It’s a type of brain tumour. My diagnosis basically changed everything. I was at the top of my game, I was head of research for a large bank in London, I was travelling around the world and I loved my life. I used Maggie’s West London Centre and found it invaluable. There was a brain tumour support group which I found incredibly helpful. I was provided with one-on-one support from a psychologist who allowed me to deal with a number of issues. I think Maggie’s Centres are wonderful. I would not be as far along the process as I am if it hadn’t been for Maggie’s.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Make a donation
You can make a one-off gift of £10 to Maggie’s Barts simply by texting MAGG10 £10 to 70070 or set up an ongoing monthly donation at www.maggiescentres.org/donate
Get your company involved
Firms can support Maggie’s Barts by payroll giving, matching employee fundraising or a charity partnership. Maggie’s can provide workshops, places in challenge events, a range of volunteering opportunities at Maggie’s Centres and the opportunity to host private events at their centres with talks.
Sponsor a day
It costs £2,400 to keep the doors of a Maggie’s Centre open for one day. Get together with your friends of colleagues to raise £2,400 and sponsor a day at Maggie’s Barts.
Become a patron
Maggie’s patrons programme aims to connect a group of like-minded people, united by a common cause and interest. As a patron you’ll share ideas with fellow supporters at cultural events, access their centres to share the work of Maggie’s and sustain their future with your funding. Annual patron donations start from £5,000 and offer some exciting benefits.
Take part
Maggie’s Culture Crawl is a 15-mile night walk through London on Friday 18 September. In partnership with Open House, walkers will enjoy exclusive access to some incredible venues across the capital. Register now at www.maggiescentres.org/culturecrawllondon
For more information, please contact London development manager Lizzie Hunt at lizzie.hunt@maggiescentres.org or call 020 7386 3566.
How the £1m will support people with cancer
The £1m that City A.M. has committed to raising will cover the running costs of Maggie’s Barts in the first two years. This funding is crucial in enabling the centre staff to provide each person with the support they need, be it psychological support, financial advice, access to information about their diagnosis and treatment or simply to sit quietly with a cup of tea. By helping us to raise this money, you will be helping to support people with cancer, their family and friends across the capital.