When it’s dark you can see the stars

Winter is a time of reflection and at Macmillan we’ve been looking back over the past year, thinking about our supporters that have gone the extra mile for people living with cancer. We want to take this opportunity to say thank you to every one of our Yorkshire Stars, whether you’ve hosted a coffee morning, ran a marathon or popped a quid in a collection tin — thank you it makes a big difference.

All year we’ve been running Macmillan’s Yorkshire Appeal and so far we’ve raised a staggering £270,000 for Macmillan services across the region. This money supports our emergency response to the pandemic, it helps us continue those vital services that are needed to support the 179,000 people living with cancer across Yorkshire.

But we’re not stopping there, with your help we’d like to raise an additional £100,000 for our Yorkshire Appeal, this will help fund the cost of a Macmillan Cancer nurse specialist and Macmillan Cancer care coordinator for one year.

Macmillan Cancer nurse specialists are expert cancer nurses with the experience to help people understand their cancer diagnosis and treatment options, they’re there from diagnosis and throughout a person’s whole cancer experience.  

Macmillan Cancer care coordinators support the emotional, financial and psychological impacts of a cancer diagnosis, as well as helping patients and their loved ones navigate the tricky health and social care system.  

We have many of these roles working in Rotherham and we want to make sure everyone diagnosed with cancer has access to this expert, personalised care.

When coronavirus hit, vital cancer treatments and appointments were postponed or cancelled. Now, the consequences of this disruption to cancer services are impossible to ignore. People still can't get the timely support they need, and the emotional impact of the outbreak is continuing to take its toll on people already struggling.

We want to be there for every person diagnosed with cancer in Rotherham that needs our support. The significant rise in the number of people being diagnosed, combined with the untold challenges the pandemic has created for patients and for cancer services, means we simply can’t do this without your support.

You can make a difference to people living with cancer by supporting our Yorkshire Appeal this winter, every penny raised will go towards Macmillan services in the region and support those who need it the most.

To find out more about the Macmillan Yorkshire Appeal go to www.macmillan.org.uk/yorkshireappeal