Our business writer Ian Garner has been out to one of the Maggie’s cancer support centres to hear how the teams create a community that can help with the issues people face with a cancer diagnosis.

It is a comforting thought. Set in the grounds of St James’s Hospital, Leeds, Maggie’s Yorkshire, is warm and welcoming, a place where people with cancer, their families and friends can come together as a group for emotional support and are able to chat with experts, ready to help with suggestions, information and guidance.

There are 27 locations in the UK, including Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Oldham, and the Wirral, contributing to Maggie's centres as a network of drop-in centres spread across the United Kingdom. The aim? To help anyone who has been affected by cancer, and their family and friends.

I caught up with Centre Head, Amanda Procter, and Centre Fundraising Manager, Sadie Munro, at Maggie’s Yorkshire to chat about Maggie’s, what it does and to understand what individuals and businesses can do to support the centre.

As full disclosure, I joined the Board at Maggie’s Yorkshire, just over a year ago and I am one of many who are so impressed with the fantastic work the team does.

I haven’t experienced cancer myself or in my family, and I can only imagine how dreadful the experience is both for the people with cancer (especially children) and family and friends.

Seeing first hand the work at Maggie’s and the stories I hear are heart-breaking but so inspiring.

Amanda Procter is the Centre Head and oversees the day-to-day running of the centre.

I asked Amanda what a typical day is like in the life of Maggie’s Yorkshire?

“Every day is different; it might be offering cancer support to someone or facilitating a group. We don’t ask people to make an appointment so whoever turns up we do what we need to do to support them,” she said.

Amanda explained that Maggie’s sees about 1,000 visits a month and these include people with a cancer diagnosis, people receiving treatment and in recovery and that includes family and friends who are full of questions as they look for help and support.

I asked Amanda about the ‘kitchen table,’ a feature at the heart of the centre.

“The kitchen table is the real hub of the centre. We see people making important connections with people in a similar situation. Cancer can feel very isolating and talk to people going through, or having gone through the experience, is really helpful,” she tells me.

Amanda went on to explain that Maggie’s run ‘Cancer in the Workplace’ workshops which cover the emotional and physical needs of people with cancer, the impact on families, friends and colleagues and the journey experienced by people that extends beyond treatment and recovery.

The focus of the workshop is to help employers understand some of the things that people go through with cancer and their treatment experience.

The centre provides benefits advice, which is really helpful during this cost-of-living crisis. There are sessions about nutrition, managing stress, pilates, and yoga.

They also run groups to support bereavement, living with advanced cancer, secondary breast cancer and an LGBTQ+ support group.

Amanda tells me that visitors typically say their experiences with Maggie’s are seen “as a safe space, an escape from the clinical area, a place to laugh or cry and to be free to show genuine emotions”.

Like many charities, Maggie’s doesn’t receive any public funding so depends on donations and fundraising.

I understand it costs about £3,000 per week (over £750,000 per year) to fund just the Maggie’s Yorkshire in Leeds.

Sadie joined Maggie’s as Centre Fundraising Manager quite recently and we chatted about what her impressions have been so far?

“My first impression: there’s a lot to take in. I knew very little about Maggie’s when I first joined. I was blown away by the place, by the people, by the staff. I was wowed with the things that Amanda and the team do.

“There was a lot for me to process but my take away from all of that, and what drives me for this year, is making sure that everybody knows this place exists, because you know, once you have experienced it, you can see for yourself - it is life changing.”

“People come in with emotional feelings and leave in a very different state. Some people who visit us regularly, you see them lift, the more they come here it’s incredible; so for me, raising money is very important, but there’s also a lot of awareness and engagement work to do, letting people know we are here. It does change your life and that was my first impression and helped clear my mind so I am clear of everything I want to do and try to do.”

Many people these days have a strong social conscience and want to put something back, and I ask Sadie how people can support Maggie’s in their own way.

Sadie explained that individuals can give a monthly donation. As little as £5 pays for one person to attend an exercise class to help build strength and confidence during cancer treatment and afterwards.

£10 pays for one person to attend a 2-hour managing stress session, exploring ways to relax and find calmness in day-to-day life when dealing with the challenges of cancer.

£20 pays for half an hour with a benefits advisor to help someone access financial support they might be eligible for and offer help with the application process.

The personal options include fundraising, doing sponsored challenges, organising fund raising events or even joining the Board at a Maggie’s. There are fundraising packs to support any activities, for example, T shirts, entry forms and other collateral to help any organising events all available from Maggie’s Yorkshire.

Then there are the big fundraising events like the London Marathon, Great North Run or little events like organising a tea party with your local neighbours. There’s also the opportunity to be a volunteer, helping with gardening etc., at a local centre.

Maggie’s also has a weekly lottery. For just £1 per week will help someone with cancer get support when they need it most and an opportunity to win up to £25,000 plus many more prizes.

In this world of ESG (environment, social and governance) and CSR (corporate social responsibility), I am curious to hear how businesses can support this great cause.

I asked Sadie about how Maggie’s Yorkshire has built some strong partnerships in the Yorkshire business community. What sorts of things have businesses done to help with fundraising at Maggie’s?

Sadie explained that businesses have chosen diverse ways to support the Centre.

These include a financial contribution – a straight forward gift, potentially as part of their ESG/CSR ambitions. Sponsorship – financial and material support for fund raising initiatives. Corporate 'Fund Raising at work' – encouraging employees to raise funds by sponsored events, individual challenges etc. Volunteering – helping out in the Centre or supporting outdoor events (cycle challenges, marathon running, mountain climbing).

They can arrange cancer support for employees – as part of their ‘health & wellbeing’ activity and attend the ‘Cancer in the Workplace’ workshops.

Amanda and Sadie extended an invitation to anyone who would like to visit the Maggie’s Yorkshire centre to see for themselves, they are always welcome.