Macmillan’s coffee morning

Donations soared to over £10 million, with £137,000 raised in Notts alone. Those donations help the charity provide its vital services to cancer sufferers and their families across the UK.

Heather MacMillan is a dedicated Macmillan outreach worker in Worksop and across Bassetlaw. She works in the community to educate people on the early detection and prevention of cancer.

Heather said: “My main role is in the prevention and raising awareness of cancer. You find that a lot of people are still afraid of talking about the c-word.”

“And yes, it is frightening, but we need to be talking about it, not only to raise awareness of simple ways you can make sure you’re diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible, but to promote simple steps you could take today to help the prevention of cancer.”

For example giving up alcohol is the most effective way of reducing the risk of liver cancer,while healthy eating and regular exercise also decrease risk.

“I work with the Macmillan nurses at Retford Hospital, give referrals to the Citizen Advice Bureau for advice on finances and benefits when dealing with cancer, and also work with the Bassetlaw Health Promotions team to give a total cancer service.”

“My work has been very successful in making people feel that it’s alright to talk about cancer, training local nurses and carers to recognise early symptoms and so increasing the number of early diagnosis.”

There are lots of ways to get involved with the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. You can register to host an event, go to an event or just make a donation.

Visit www.macmillan.org.uk to fins out more.