A review of the year
April 2009 - March 2010
There is no doubt that the last year at the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre has been one of great change with many new developments and some disruptions.
As we came to the end of the year, there was an increasing sense of stability and it is appropriate to start by congratulating and thanking the magnificent LJMC team for the way in which they have responded to the challenges they have faced.
We started the year with the relocation of the Supportive Oncology Research Team from their offices above the Chemotherapy Suite while building work was being carried out.
The team’s temporary home was in the old Outpatients building on the other site of the hospital site and, although the Mount Vernon site is not huge, it sometimes felt as if they were miles away.
Where once we had been able to pop next door and have a chat face-to-face, we either had to pick up the telephone or face the trek across the site – delightful in the summer but less appealing in the wind and rain.
True, everyone’s fitness levels increased, but it’s really great to have them ‘home’ again next door. The LJMC team feels complete again.
The appointment of new staff during the year has been a joy, enabling us to move forward in the provision of our services.
With increasing importance on the provision of information to patients, the appointment of Theresa Sullivan to head up the Information team has been significant. Theresa’s ability to juggle multiple projects and new initiatives has been crucial. She is keeping the LJMC firmly on the information map as the health industry embraces new technology and the opportunities it presents to provide the best service possible.
The Counselling team is not just at full strength but enhanced by the addition of the new art psychotherapy service under the expert eye of Shona Elrick. Shona has worked hard to introduce the service and raise awareness among Cancer Centre staff.
New volunteers have joined the team, each bringing unique experience to their respective roles. Existing members of the team have worked to help them settle in, sharing their own knowledge and experience and nurturing new skills in the generous way that typifies the LJMC.
Anyone who is familiar with the LJMC building will, by now, be wondering where everyone manages to work. It’s fair to say that space is at an absolute premium and staff have been more than creative in their approach to hot-desking. This is an issue that faces us in the coming year and we are exploring possibilities although it is a slow process.
The topic on everyone’s lips this year has been that of finances. With such a substantial part of the LJMC’s income coming from voluntary donations and fundraising, this has been a major concern for the centre.
Donations were down by a third on the year 2008-9 and this has been a cause of considerable anxiety.
The LJMC makes no charge for its services and is unable to increase its income except through the generosity of its supporters. We thank you for the support you have given during the year.
However, amid this gloomy news, our largest annual event – the Moor Park 10k – had a record year, smashing its target and helping redress the financial imbalance with which we were faced.
The LJMC has always been up for a challenge and, if it were not for four of our supporters who felt likewise, we would be facing financial challenges of a different kind in the coming year.
Two pairs of intrepid adventurers embarked on fundraising expeditions: David Stern and Clive Newman trekked up Mount Kilimanjaro and two of our complementary therapists, Cherry Mackie and Lynda Hannam, trekked to Machu Picchu. Between them, they raised well over £20,000, significantly redressing the potential deficit. We are immensely grateful to them all for choosing to support the LJMC through their endeavours with such successful results.
As the dust from the last year settles, everyone is looking forward with optimism. With fresh announcements daily from the new Government, we face new priorities and, inevitably, new challenges. Budgets are tight but spirits are high.
Amid the changes, the Drop-in centre remains focused on its role to provide a place of support for people affected by cancer. This remains central to what we do and how we do it.
Rosemary Lucey
Head of Centre
Last updated: 23 July, 2010
