Cancer support centre volunteers scoop award

Volunteers Sandy Nicholls and Lyn Foster in the Macmillan Horizon Centre caf

The 100-strong team of volunteers at the centre won Macmillan Cancer Support's Service Team of the Year Award in the South East.

The centre, which opened in November 2016, is next to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, and supports people with cancer from all over Sussex.

It’s a one-stop shop for cancer patients to receive support and advice as they go through treatment, providing information, complementary therapies, counselling, a café, and physical activities.

Lyn Foster, who volunteers in the cafe, said: “I volunteer for Macmillan because I wanted to say thank you for all the help the wonderful Macmillan nurses gave me when I had breast cancer.

"I find volunteering very rewarding and satisfying and always enjoy my shift in the cafe. I have met some amazing people and made new friends amongst the wonderful volunteers.

To win an award is fantastic and so unexpected, and I’m sure my fellow volunteers are as thrilled as I am to receive it.”

To thank those who give up their time for the centre, volunteers have been invited on a 'flight' on seafront attraction the i360, followed by fish and chips in the Regency Cafe opposite.

Geoff Brown, the centre manager, said: “They are a fantastic team of information, counselling, complementary therapy, café, peer support and body image volunteers. We are extremely grateful for the time they give to provide much-needed support to people affected by cancer.”

In numbers

During the first 12 months of the centre being open, volunteers donated over 10,000 hours.

Support volunteers provided included:

- 3,196 contacts providing information

- 2,200 counselling appointments

- 2,900 peer-to-peer support conversations

- 765 complementary therapy appointments

- 776 physical activity appointments

- 136 body Image appointments

- 907 welfare benefits appointments and enquiries

- 11,024 visitors to the café

- 61 cookery skills session participants

- 201 social activity participants

If you would like to volunteer at the centre, click here.