WOMAC donates £40,000 to worthy cancer causes in 2023

3 July 2023.

Women On the Move Against Cancer (WOMAC) presented cheques to its 2023 charities Maggie’s and Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation totaling £15,000 each.

WOMAC pledged to donate £7,500 to each of the charities for the year and had already donated £1,000.

But thanks to the generosity of WOMAC supporters the group was able to surprise each charity with an extra £7,500 taking the total to £15,000 each - double the original pledge.

Members of the WOMAC committee visited the charities at the cancer unit of University College London Hospital (UCLH) to handover the cheques that will allow both charities to support patients and their families going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Both charities were overjoyed and Adam Feder, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Maggie’s said: “We are thrilled with WOMAC’s incredible donation of £15,000 for Maggie’s.

The party was a huge success and is testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of WOMAC in organising these events for cancer charities.

Maggie’s offers the best possible support free to anyone with cancer and their families who walk through our doors.

Our centres help people take back control when cancer turns life upside down, with professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries.

This donation could help Maggie’s pay for over five days at one of our centres, so that over 500 people can get immediate advice and support from expert staff at Maggie’s.

We would not be able to support people with cancer and their families without the support of our partners like WOMAC.

Claire Kelly, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation commented: "Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation are beyond thrilled to receive such an amazing donation of £14,000 in addition to the £1000 donated at the start of our partnership resulting in a total of £15,000.

“This will change so many lives for patients and their families living with lung cancer.

“We have continued to see an increase in over 56% of calls to our nurse care helpline, this life changing amount will enable us to fund a part time nurse for another year or award 100 families a patient grant of £150 to make life that little bit better throughout such a difficult time.

“Team WOMAC you are truly amazing and we have loved working with you.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

In addition, WOMAC was also able to donate £2,000 each to the following charities which have been nominated by a Committee member or Patron of WOMAC as each cause has a special place in their heart thanks to the first-hand support they have provided to them and their families.

Thames Hospice in Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire which provides inpatient and community palliative and end-of-life care

Delena Keenan said: “A massive thank you for the £2000 donation to Thames Hospice, they made my husbands last few weeks of life so comfortable and peaceful.

The Hospice are so grateful and thank you also to all our amazing WOMAC ladies.”

Make 2nds Count dedicated to supporting women and men living with secondary breast cancer

Lianne Bryce, Community and Events Fundraiser for Make 2nds Count comments “Secondary Breast Cancer affects around 61,000 people and claims 1,000 lives each month in the UK.

So much of the work we do is only able to happen thanks to generous donations such as this one.

Make 2nds Count are committed to doing everything we can to raise awareness, fund research and improve the lives of those living with secondary breast cancer so this is a very welcome and much appreciated donation.

Thank you so much!”

Sussex Cancer Fund that works tirelessly to provide cancer patients in Sussex with the best available treatment and facilities

Sarah Bradley’s friend Helen Morley said: “Thank you again so much to everyone for this amazingly generous donation - I know this will make a huge and positive difference to patients in Sussex receiving cancer treatment and is indeed really exciting news!”

Sick Children’s Trust giving families with sick children a place to stay and someone to talk to in one of its ten home from homes across the UK

Trinity Francis said: “It's wonderful to be able to support The Sick Children's Trust.

They provide free accommodation for families with seriously ill children in hospital.

After a dear family friend's young son was diagnosed with Leukaemia, The Sick Children's Trust provided his parents with a place to stay just minutes from his bedside.

His Mum was also 37 weeks pregnant at the time, so being able to be close and not travel back and forth from home took a massive weight off.

It gave them all one less thing to worry about and allowed them to focus solely on his recovery.

Without The Sick Children's Trust's support, both parents wouldn't have been able to stay close to their son during his treatment.

It also meant, when the time came that both Mum and Dad could be present to welcome their beautiful daughter into the world as well.”Charlie’s that supports people in Gloucester dealing with cancer through workshops, therapies, activities and bereavement counselling.

Bailey Longden-Hill said: “My Mum would visit Charlies to enjoy the therapies they offer as well as conversation with other women living with terminal cancer.

Being able to give back and support Charlie’s means so much to myself and my family.”

This brings the total amount WOMAC has donated this year to £40,000 and since its inception in 1979 a huge £1.1 million to cancer charities across the UK.

More than 90 worthwhile causes have now received donations from WOMAC making an enormous difference to many families.

WOMAC will soon be announcing its 2024 charities alongside plans for its dedicated fundraising fortnight - #WOMACWeeks - to kick start the fundraising efforts for this year’s recipients.

Further donations can be made via WOMAC’s JustGiving page by visiting: https://www.justgiving.com/page/womac-2023.

For more details about how to support WOMAC, please contact Georgia Fox on +44 7973 915199 or georgia@simsimages.co.uk

About Maggie’sMaggie’s is a charity providing free cancer support and information in centres across the UK and online.

Maggie’s offers the best possible support free to anyone with cancer and their families who walk through our doors.

You’ll find our centres alongside NHS hospitals and we can also support you online.

About Roy Castle Lung Cancer FoundationRoy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only UK lung cancer charity dedicated to helping everyone affected by the disease.

Since 1990, when the charity was set up by Professor Ray Donnelly, we have funded millions of pounds of essential lung cancer research, looking for ways to detect the disease as early as possible and save lives.

We support everyone affected by lung cancer - from diagnosis, through treatment, living with the disease and end of life care.

We raise awareness, prevent future generations from getting it and challenge the misconceptions of lung cancer.

We do all this so those diagnosed can live well with lung cancer for as long as possible.

About Make 2nds CountMake 2nds Count is a patient and family-focused charity dedicated to giving hope to women and men living with secondary breast cancer.

Our mission is: to fund secondary breast cancer research that contributes to advancing an increased quality of life for patients; establish a community that supports and educates patients and families affected by secondary breast cancer; inform and facilitate access to patient trials and to increase overall awareness of secondary breast cancer.