Maggie’s Centres

Maggie’s Centres were set up in 1995 in order to fulfil the vision of Maggie Jencks to provide free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer, their families, carers and friends

Since the opening of the first Centre in Edinburgh in 1996, Maggie’s has created a further 14 Centres throughout the UK which are either built, under development or in the planning stages There is also an Online Centre for people who are unable to visit a Centre.

Maggie lived with cancer for two years and during that time she used her knowledge and experience to create a blueprint for a new type of care,Care based around places that let people with cancer feel in control not part of a production line; care that recognises the importance of reassuring spaces when people are feeling vulnerable; and care that never allows people to “lose the joy of living in the fear of dying”, as she put it.She died in 1995 but her ideas live on today in the Centres that bear her name.Built in the grounds of NHS specialist cancer hospitals and complementing the clinical care they provide, Maggie’s Centres are calming and helpful places that offer the extra emotional, practical and social support that people with cancer and their families and friends need –no matter what stage of their cancer journey they’re at, or which type of cancer they have,Maggie’s Centres are designed to complement the work of NHS cancer hospitals, providing people with cancer and their families and friends with emotional, practical and social support -or ‘calmness, clarity and a cup of tea’

Calmness

Designed by leading architects, Maggie’s Centres are warm, friendly, informal places, full of light and open space and with a big kitchen at their heart

They provide a bridge from the stress of dealing with hospitals, appointments and treatment, and a refuge from the well meant, but sometimes overwhelming concerns of your family and friends

They also provide a peaceful space to absorb the information that you’re inevitably bombarded with and help to relieve some of the distress of having cancer

Clarity

The professional experts who work at Maggie’s will listen to questions and concerns and provide practical support and information. They will provide straightforward advice on everything from nutrition to benefits. They will give clear guidance on which support groups, or psychological support might help. They can also discuss the things people with cancer are feeling and why they’re feeling them. When you are first told you have cancer, it is like a punchin the stomach. You are thrown in to the middle of what seems like an overwhelming andunmanageable problem. Our experts provide the clarity to take that problem and break it down into smaller, more manageable pieces

A cup of tea

There is a friendly and supportive community in every Maggie’s Centre. For people with cancer, Maggie’s often becomes a home from home, a place where they can go along and talk to other people with cancer. They can share stories over tea and biscuits if they want; equally there’s space to be on their own without feeling alone. The kettle is always on and the dooris always open

People with cancer need places like these