5 Minutes with Wessex Cancer Trust | Your Cancer Services

03 February 2023 — david-allen

Wessex Cancer Trust is a charity, established in 1981. Their mission is to provide free and local emotional support to anyone affected by cancer in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. We spoke to the team to find out more.

Tell us about your organisation? 

We have four cancer support centres – in Chandler’s Ford, Bournemouth, Hythe and Newport (Isle of Wight). We have five shops in Chandler’s Ford, Weeke, Portchester, Freshwater and Hythe.  We know that cancer can have a huge impact on your wellbeing and our ambition is a future where everyone affected by cancer receives compassionate support that empowers them to live well with and beyond cancer.

What services do you offer people living with cancer?

At our four cancer support centres we offer a drop-in service and an opportunity to chat with trained befrienders; professional counselling, complementary therapies, activities, support groups and courses. We also run weekly cancer wellbeing drop-in sessions in Andover, with more outreach services planned during 2023. We provide transport on our Daisy Buses to help Isle of Wight patients get to their hospital appointments on the mainland. We run popular Sing for Life choirs in Cosham, Salisbury, Totton and the Isle of Wight.  All of our services are provided away from a hospital environment and with no need for a referral from your GP.   

Do you have a target demographic who use your services?

Wessex Cancer Trust supports any adult living with cancer. Maybe you’re recently diagnosed, having treatment or adjusting to life after cancer. You could be supporting someone who has cancer or be bereaved.  

How are you funded?

Wessex Cancer Trust is a charity and we’re funded wholly by fundraising and events, voluntary donations and grants from Trusts.

How have things changed for you since COVID-19?

Many people are all too aware of the  impact COVID-19 has had on cancer services. In a 2022 survey, 82% of people we asked said they felt worried, fearful or anxious during diagnosis and treatment, compared to 61% of people who responded to a survey in 2019. As a local charity, we have the freedom and flexibility to tailor and evolve our services to address local need and we constantly review the services we provide. When COVID-19 forced us to close our Support Centres, we worked quickly to move our services online (such as Zoom coffee mornings, telephone or online counselling and online support groups, activities and Sing for Life sessions), so we could still be here for people because we knew many would be feeling isolated and anxious. We’ve been welcoming back people to our Support Centres for a while now for face-to-face support, yet realise many still feel anxious about being around others. We work hard to create the package of support that best suits our clients’ needs and online support is still available. In terms of fundraising, we’re back to face-to-face events now, but our fundraising and events team worked extraordinarily hard to find new and innovative ways to raise money through virtual events and we’ve been awarded grants from Trusts who recognise the value of the support we provide.            

What’s the most rewarding thing about the work you do?

We feel that we bridge the gap between NHS care and private practice by providing free, local and compassionate emotional support. We empower people to access the combination of services that best suits their needs. This may be popping in and chatting with a befriender occasionally, or accessing a more structured programme of counselling and complementary therapies. Everyone is treated as an individual and it’s incredibly rewarding when people tell us what our support means to them. We know it can be life-changing.      

What would you say to those who are considering getting in touch with you but are nervous or apprehensive?

We know it can be daunting accessing support for the first time, because you don’t know what to expect. You may be wondering if support is right for you. Everyone who visits us has the opportunity to talk to our Wellbeing Coordinator and put together a personalised support plan so you’re able to access the combination of services that best suits your needs. As one of our clients, Simon, says: ‘My advice would be to just go for it. The worst that will happen is that you’ll have a cup of tea and a biscuit, but more likely you’ll simply surround yourself with lovely people who just want to help.’  To help, we’ve put together a one-minute video so you can see what you might expect when visiting one of our support centres.   You can watch it here: Your Cancer Support Centres – Wessex Cancer Trust.     

Do you have testimonials from people that have used your services? 

Natalie was diagnosed with thyroid cancer aged 45. She says:

“Cancer took my life and shook it like a snow globe. It affected everything. Wessex Cancer Trust has supported me in many different ways, and the power of that personalised support has been immeasurable. At Wessex Cancer Trust I’m simply Natalie and I feel heard. When I felt vulnerable about being around others, post-Covid, the charity offered me many online services. My recovery is an ongoing process and I’m working on, but the future is looking much brighter thanks to Wessex Cancer Trust.”   

Who works for you?

We have 50 paid staff and just under 200 volunteers across our charity. Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do to support local people affected by cancer; from working in our shops, befriending in our centres, providing admin support and attending events. We’re incredibly grateful for their time and dedication and we wouldn’t be able to provide the services we do without them.

What are the values of your organisation?

Our values drive everything we do – the services we provide, the decisions we make, the actions we take, the partners we choose and the way we treat each other. They are our statement about what matters to us and how we hold ourselves accountable for our own behaviour. 

          –We’re compassionate. Everything we do we do with kindness and care

         –We’re purposeful. We always aspire to go above and beyond, and we take responsibility       for the decisions we make.

         –We’re inclusive.  We celebrate and embrace the differences that shape who we are. We offer a warm and friendly welcome to everyone. Our door is open.

       –We’re collaborative. We work with others so that we can always do our best for people with cancer and their loved ones.  

And finally, can you describe your organisation in 3 words?

Compassionate, free, local.