Floating in the trees, an oasis of calm, peace ... and help

Maggie’s Centre at Nottingham

Opened in 2011 and built in the grounds of Nottingham’s City Hospital, the Maggie’s centre has the appearance of almost floating among the trees with its unique vivid green facade catching all eyes that wander by.

As with all of Maggie’s 18 centres, local designers and architects were tasked with the challenge of creating a welcoming and impressive facility able to accommodate a wide variety of activities and support possibilities.

The centre boasts a vibrant interior straight from the mind of Nottingham’s own Sir Paul Smith, with colourful prints, bright furniture and beautiful decorations filling each room.

Maggie’s centres are also designed as a “home away from home” with the most prominent feature of each centre being the kitchen table, a space were visitors can meet, chat and enjoy a drink with members of staff, volunteers or others in a similar situation to themselves.

Open five days a week, from 9am to 5pm, the centre provides a varied timetable of activities and support for anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer, their family, carers and friends.

Popular courses at the Nottingham centre include help with diet and nutrition, tai chi and stress management or mindfulness.

Centre head Kate Martin believes the variety of support on offer at Maggie’s is vital to explaining why it is such an important facility.

Kate, who has been at the Nottingham Centre since it opened, originally as a cancer support specialist before becoming the centre head, said: “At Maggie’s we want people to feel that they can get involved in as much or as little as they want.

“We tailor the support and advice on offer to an individual’s needs, whatever they may be.”

She added that the centre regularly sees as many as 60 people through its doors a day, with the core Maggie’s staff supplemented by regular volunteers.

Kate, who is also trained as a research oncology nurse, said: “For some people, they may just want to stop by for a drink and a chat with someone in a similar situation to themselves, others may want a more structured, one-to-one session with one of our staff.

“All our courses and sessions are available to everyone who has been affected by cancer.”

Visitors to the centre have the opportunity to talk to a variety of specialists on site, including a counselling psychologist, cancer support specialist and even a benefits adviser.

One of the first people visitors to the Nottingham centre are likely to meet is cancer support specialist Sonja Zadora-Chrzastowska.

Sonja often provides the initial meeting with a visitor and points them in the various directions of help available at the centre, as well as running individual groups.

Sonja, a registered nurse, said: “Each day is different as we never know who will be coming through that door.

“This job is about listening to a person’s needs and pointing them in the right direction. There is no one-size-fits-all service, the Maggie’s experience can be tailored to an individual.”

Benefits advisor Chris Bissett is also on hand to provide anyone who steps through the doors with advise about financial issues, including claiming benefits, sick pay and grants available.

He said: “A cancer diagnosis can sometimes mean people are unable to work and our visitors can find themselves in a position where their costs may have increased, due to needing an improved diet or transport to hospital appointments, while their income has been significantly reduced.

“Our service gives people a chance to sit down and discuss financial issues while getting accurate advice about what is out there to help.”

He added that last year 840 people accessed his help, with an estimated £900,000 in benefits claimed.

“The advice we can offer is invaluable to some people and can remove an additional source of worry and anxiety that people facing cancer have to deal with,” he said.

As a charity, Maggie’s also relies on fundraising in order to maintain the high level of support on offer and each centre costs around £500,000 to run each year, with no NHS funding or grants available to them.

Each centre has a fundraising manager responsible for raising awareness and encouraging fundraising from company sponsorship, donors and community events.