Maggie’s care triumphs with St Barts centre
AFTER nearly seven years of fundraising, designing and lobbying with City councillors, cancer support charity Maggie’s finally saw plans for a cancer support centre at London’s St Bart’s Hospital begin to take shape, as construction commenced yesterday.
“We got there in the end,” declared Maggie’s board member Clara Weatherall as the ground was finally broken at Europe’s oldest hospital. Art aficionados, bankers, architects and NHS directors were out in full force to celebrate.
To commemorate the event, City A.M. co-founder and managing director Lawson Muncaster added yesterday’s paper to a time capsule to be buried on-site with a dozen other treasures, which included artwork, HSBC bank notes and an original starched hat worn by NHS nurses for nearly 40 years.
City A.M. has committed to raising £1m for Maggie’s latest campaign.
Bob Leonard, chair of Maggie’s advisory board, who has been working with the charity since its first centre opened in Edinburgh almost 20 years ago, said: “The first centre was just a converted stable block. To see it get to where it is now is amazing.”