On the 4th June 2019 our staff had the privilege of meeting the wonderful Cheryl Jenkinson at our Wigan office.
Cheryl is the corporate fundraising manager for the Greater Manchester area so what better way to get a real insight on some of the wonderful things Macmillan Cancer Support do as charity than to invite her down for chat and of course some pizza for lunch!
As you may already be aware we nominate a charity of the year every year and this year we are fundraising for Macmillan. We have pledged to raise £7,000 (and hopefully more) for this worthy charity.
We learned that £7,000 can fund a Macmillan nurse for 250 hours’ care for someone who needs it the most.
How Macmillan started
Firstly, Cheryl gave us a quick run-down on the origins of Macmillan and how it all started.
In the year 1911 Douglas Macmillan started the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer after his father sadly passed away from oesophageal cancer. Cancer in 1911 was something people never talked about, and to have cancer was seen as a taboo subject that people felt ashamed about. Douglas Macmillan therefore wanted advice and information to be available for all people from all walks of life who suffered with cancer.
As times and attitudes have changed so has everyone’s overall understanding of cancer. Macmillan has evolved along the way, constantly adapting and revolutionising the support they offer to ensure it is suitable for the current climate and also for the future.
In Greater Manchester alone, there are 14,285 new cancer diagnoses every year and it is expected that by 2030, 137,000 people in the area will be living with cancer. This figure is shocking and alarming, therefore it is vital that Macmillan continues to get the support and funding it needs to reach out and help as many people as possible. Ninety nine percent of Macmillan’s income comes from businesses, such as Stephensons, and individuals.
Cheryl highlighted to us all that the current research shows that in addition to medical and clinical needs there are six additional support needs cancer sufferers are most likely to have. These include:
- Financial
- Physical
- Emotional
- Information
- Assistance navigating the system.
Macmillan is not just about the nurses they provide they do much, much more. The annual Macmillan report confirms that they support over 7,700 Macmillan professionals including nurses, support workers and GPs, as well as allied health professionals such as dieticians and physiotherapists, all working to help people with cancer to live their lives to the very best that they can.
Macmillan provide information and support services to ensure people with cancer and their family get the right information and support they need. They even have a mobile information bus that travels around the North West which provides a drop in centre for anyone wanting information or advice relating to cancer.
Financial support
One big factor that plays a huge part with anyone suffering with cancer or their families is their financial situation. What if you become too ill to work? How will you pay the bills? Will you be entitled to any help? Macmillan provides services such as grants, benefit advice and financial guidance.
The grants that Macmillan offer can make an immediate difference to someone living with cancer. These grants can be used for a variety of bills such as heating, water, electricity, car tax - basically anything that is important to that person.
In 2018 alone 2,580 Macmillan grants were given to local people in Greater Manchester totalling over £992,500 with an average grant being in the region of £500.
Campaigns
As the number of people with cancer is set to rise to 5.3 million by 2040, we must continue to influence governments and key decision makers to improve the lives of people living with cancer. (Source: Macmillan Annual Report 2017)
Macmillan campaigns on various areas such as welfare reforms and national cancer plans. An example is the ‘money and cancer’ campaign which aims to emphasise typical financial challenges that people with a diagnosis of cancer face daily.
If everyone spreads the word, filled out a petition online, wrote to a local politician, or even just told their friends this will help spread the message far and wide to ensure the impact is bigger, better and reaches wider than ever before.
Some examples of successful campaigns that Macmillan have run are:
- Campaigning to end car parking fees for cancer patients attending hospital for life saving treatment, with most hospitals in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland now offering free parking for cancer patients
- Campaigning to end prescription charges for cancer patients in England, who are now also entitled to free prescriptions (like cancer patients in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- Campaigning for people with cancer to receive additional financial support with energy costs if they are struggling to pay the bills – for example, Macmillan campaigned for people with cancer in England, Scotland and Wales to be considered under the Government Warm Home Discount Scheme, which helps people who can’t afford their energy bills, and in Northern Ireland Macmillan successfully campaigned for people with cancer to receive a one-off payment of £100 to help with their fuel costs.
Fundraising and volunteering
Stephensons have kicked off fundraising for the year with the summer step challenge and we have plenty more fundraising lined up in the coming months! Such as our annual summer fundraiser, World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, and Tough Mudder Challenge to name a few.
With your help Macmillan can provide the following care with the funds raised:
- £28 could pay for a Macmillan nurse for one hour - helping patients and families providing emotional support and medical care.
- £200 could help fund a Macmillan grant for persons who need it the most.
- £481 would support Macmillan’s Cancer Information Nurse Specialists run the support line for one hour. This would provide a wide range of clinical information and help discussing treatment options available.
For further information on cancer, support options or just a friendly listening ear telephone 08088 080000 7 days a week 8am – 8pm.
There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer for Macmillan. Check out the website to see what is needed most in your area.
If you would like to donate to any of our numerous fundraisers for this amazing charity then please visit our Just Giving page.
By Alex Penk, graduate paralegal, personal injury department