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Thank you for taking the time to visit our page and find out more about how you can help support Wessex Cancer Trust during this very difficult time.
For almost 40 years Wessex Cancer Trust has been there for local people during the most difficult of times. When you, or a loved one, get a cancer diagnosis, it can be a huge shock for the whole family. The news is incredibly difficult to process and while the NHS does a very good job of providing clinical care, there are still so many other ways that the illness affects your life, mind, relationships and confidence.
This year we've seen a 30% rise in the number of people using our Cancer Support Centres, which is what we want, but we've also seen a considerable drop in charitable income, including a 65% reduction in people leaving a gift in their will, and a 15% drop in income from our charity shops, which has resulted in a serious gap in funding that we're struggling to bridge.
The charity currently supports around 11,000 people every year through its four cancer Support Centres which provide drop-in services, professional counselling, complementary therapies, activities, support groups and courses. It also runs outreach services, a popular Sing for Life choir and transport on its Daisy Buses to help patients get to their hospital appointments.
Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly to provide a high level of emotional support to local people, regardless of age, gender or type of cancer. Our services are available, free of charge, across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. As we don't receive any Government funding, we are entirely reliant upon voluntary donations and fundraising events to raise the money we need each month.
We know that more and more people are living longer after a cancer diagnosis in 2014 there were just over 98,600 people living with cancer in the Wessex region, by 2030, it is estimated that there will be almost 165,000. We have launched a new strategy which shows how we will evolve our services to care for every single person in the most personal way. We also have ambitious fundraising plans which will enable us to reach our goals. But in the short-term, we're struggling to stabilise our financial situation and need your help.
We're still extremely positive about the future of local cancer care. We have a brilliant team working at Wessex Cancer Trust and we're determined to do whatever we can to ensure that we're still here for local people over the next 40 years.
The charity is not in debt. All funds donated to this appeal will be used to help us to continue to provide vital support services for local people affected by cancer.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our page, and please do donate if you're able to.
What your donation could pay for -
£40 could provide a free counselling session to help someone through the emotional impact of cancer.
£100 could provide two group tai chi sessions to help improve well-being and pain management.
£400 could look after a person through their journey with us.
£3225 could cover the cost of running all our cancer support services for a full day.
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