Two cancer charities today announced (Thursday, February 16th) that they will be working together to develop a new Maggie’s Centre at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, providing support and hope for the thousands in the region affected by cancer.

Walk the Walk, the grant-making breast cancer charity, has pledged a grant of £3million to bring a Maggie’s Centres to the region. The funds are part of the monies raised at Walk the Walk’s iconic MoonWalk Edinburgh, which sees thousands and thousands of women and men Power Walking a half or full marathon in brightly decorated bras.  

This is the second time that the two charities have united to create vast and lasting improvements to cancer support across Scotland, following on from the hugely successful Maggie’s Gartnavel Centre in Glasgow, which opened in October 2011 and was fully funded by Walk the Walk.

Maggie’s will provide an expert programme of emotional support and practical advice, all within an inspiring, homely Centre.  The Centre will be based just a short walk from the Oncology Unit at Forth valley Royal Hospital and will serve the cancer populations of the Forth Valley, taking in Larbert, Dunblane, Falkirk, Stirling, Alloa and Grangemouth. More than 1600 people are diagnosed with cancer in Forth Valley every year.  

Walk the Walk and Maggie’s are today encouraging people to sign up to this year’s MoonWalk Edinburgh, which takes place on Saturday, June 9th (www.walkthewalk.org).  This is the seventh MoonWalk Edinburgh with the theme  ‘Midnight at the Oasis’, and Inverleith Park, where the opening party is held, will be transformed into an oasis of mystery, colour and intrigue.

The Falkirk Herald are showing their support by calling on all their readers to join them and sign up for the challenge and are hoping to enter the largest team ever to take part in The MoonWalk– a target of over 100 participants has been set for the Falkirk Herald MoonWalk Team.  

Nina Barough CBE, Founder of Walk the Walk, said: “Having celebrated the opening of the new Maggie’s centre at Glasgow’s Gartnaval Hospital in October 2011, it is with great pleasure that Walk the Walk have made the decision to become the principle funder of yet another new Maggie’s centre, this time at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Falkirk. Although The MoonWalk takes place in Edinburgh, the charity is clear that the funds raised are to be used to benefit and make a difference to cancer patients right across Scotland. As this area does not currently have a Maggie’s facility and the wonderful service that they provide, it is very special that Walk the Walk have been able to  make a contribution to the community in this way and we shall eagerly await another wonderful healing environment emerge for the people of Falkirk and the surrounding areas. It is fantastic that The Falkirk Herald is supporting Walk the Walk by setting the challenge of raising the biggest team ever to enter The MoonWalk Edinburgh.”

Maggie’s CEO, Laura Lee, said: "We are overwhelmed by Walk the Walk’s generosity and commitment to making sure that people across the Forth Valley do not have to go through a cancer journey alone.  At Maggie’s we help people to live the best life possible with, through and beyond cancer.  It is truly wonderful that through the support of Walk the Walk we will be able to complete our network of Centres across Scotland.  I have taken part in MoonWalk Edinburgh before and it draws the best crowd of good-spirited, fun-loving participants that I have ever witnessed.  I’d encourage you to sign up to set yourself a personal challenge for charity and to play your part in making Scotland a leader in providing high quality cancer care and support for people facing one of the toughest challenges in life.”

Professor Fiona Mackenzie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the news Forth Valley Royal Hospital has been chosen as the site for a new Maggie’s Centre. This will be a wonderful new facility for the many hundreds of people from across Forth Valley who are treated for cancer every year.  Maggie’s Caring Cancer Centres are internationally renowned for the excellent support and advice they provide to patients and their families and we look forward to working with them on this exciting new development.”

For more media information, please contact  Sally Orr, from Walk the Walk, on 01483 741430 / 07796 080675 / sally@walkthewalk.org  or Tricia Crosbie, from Maggie’s on 0141 225 0082 / 07769 145260 / tricia.crosbie@maggiescentres.org

 

 

Walk the Walk 

• Walk the Walk is the breast cancer charity that organises The MoonWalks in Edinburgh, Iceland and London.
• The MoonWalk Edinburgh 2012 will be held on 9th June at Inverleith Park.
• Thousands and thousands of women and men will Power Walk through the streets of Edinburgh in brightly decorated bras at Midnight.  
• Most of the money raised in Scotland stays in Scotland and to date The MoonWalk Edinburgh has raised over £14 million.
• As well as Maggies Walk the Walk has granted to The Breast Cancer Institute at The Western Infirmary Edinburgh to renovate Ward 6 and has installed a new operating theatre.
• Scalp Coolers, amazing machines that can save some people losing their hair whilst undergoing chemotherapy have been put in hospitals throughout Scotland.
• Walk the Walk is committed to making grants to improve the lives of cancer patients in Scotland.
• HRH Prince Charles is the Official Patron of Walk the Walk Worldwide.

 

Maggie’s Centres

• Maggie’s currently has 10 permanent Centres in operation – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Highlands, Fife, London, Cheltenham, Nottingham, South West Wales and Glasgow Gartnavel, and two interim facilities in Oxford and Lanarkshire.  
• 91,770 people visited Maggie’s Centres across the UK in 2010.
• Maggie’s Centres are free to visit, no appointment is necessary and are for anyone affected by any type of cancer as well as their family and friends.
• Complementing major NHS cancer hospitals across the country, Maggie’s provides a unique approach to cancer that, at its simplest, can be described as ‘calmness, clarity and a cup of tea.’  Calmness comes from the homely environment and sense of refuge inside the Centres; clarity from the professional experts who work at Maggie’s; and a ‘cup of tea’, which means the friendly and supportive community you find in every Maggie’s.
• Maggie’s president is HRH the Duchess of Cornwall.