Fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support

We’ve all heard the scary statistic: 1 in 2 of us will develop cancer during our lifetime. Sadly almost all of us will have lost a loved one to this indiscriminate disease, and seen the devastating impact it can have on not only the person directly affected, but also on their family and friends. Thankfully, I’m sure most of us have also heard of Macmillan Cancer Support, and the amazing work that they and other cancer charities do to help and support people living with cancer. Whether that support takes the form of physical, financial or emotional help, it all makes a vital difference in ensuring that individuals affected by cancer can live their lives as fully as possible.

However until recently, I didn’t know the full story behind Macmillan. At Lanyon Bowdler, we often have clients who have recently been diagnosed with many different types of cancer, as well as of course knowing people in our own families and communities with this disease. We wanted to know how we can help someone who is living with cancer and what support is available to them, and so we were very pleased when Macmillan offered to come in to the office and provide training on what help they can offer people in these situations.

It was fascinating to discover that the charity came about through the personal tragedy of the Macmillan family, but with a young man’s vision and determination that something should come out of the family’s loss. Douglas Macmillan was a young man when his father died of cancer, and had been given £10 by his father before he died. Little was known about cancer at that time, and often practical help and assistance was very limited - so Douglas decided to fund a society to help support people with cancer. Practical support was provided, with the first Macmillan nurses coming on board in the 1970s. Douglas himself later died of cancer – but his legacy lives on and Macmillan’s work now touches millions of lives every year.

It’s reassuring to know that charities like Macmillan are there to help people at the most difficult time of their lives with practical help; information and advice; financial support and palliative nursing care. We can all help this vital work to continue, whether that is by volunteering our time, joining with one of their campaigns or helping with a fundraising event and making a donation.

We took part in the “world’s biggest coffee morning” – a fantastic opportunity to raise money whilst enjoying coffee and cake! West Mercia Energy and Lanyon Bowdler agreed to jointly host a cake sale at Chapter House, Abbey Lawn to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Macmillan coffee morning is an annual fundraising event which takes place every September, to find out more and to sign up take a look here.