Two Cookstown-based charities to receive funding from Cancer Charities Grant Scheme

The grant scheme will ensure charities, voluntary and community sector organisations can deliver cancer support services and projects across local communities in Northern Ireland.

Charis Cancer Care in Cookstown is one of the recipients of the grant and will receive £148,749 to deliver counselling, awareness and advice sessions with families and hard to reach groups in Mid Ulster.

Another Cookstown-based charity, Lilac Cancer Support, will receive £20,000 to provide transport to hospital appointments as well as hosting community workshops and raising awareness through an education campaign throughout the Mid Ulster area.

Minister Nesbitt highlighted how the scheme had been developed through a co-design process working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Cancer Charities Coalition to target help for people across Northern Ireland.

The Minister said the services provided by local charities like Charis Cancer Care and Lilac Cancer Support are invaluable.

He continued: “This funding scheme will help transform the lives of people living with cancer and their families, offering personalised support in a community setting. Working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support has enabled an innovative approach with the focus firmly on meeting the needs of those affected by cancer.

“At the heart of this scheme is the need to move care closer to people’s homes and strengthening support in communities across Northern Ireland. By empowering charities to deliver earlier, more localised support, we can help people stay well for longer and reduce avoidable pressure on hospital services.

“During recent visits to cancer charities, I have seen first-hand the powerful potential of community action when it comes to delivering outstanding cancer support. It is clear local charities are at the heart of it, playing an essential role alongside HSC staff and patients’ friends and families. I would like to thank Macmillan Cancer Support for their generous funding; this scheme truly shows how much government and the charitable sector can achieve by working collaboratively.”

Gemma Peters, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “It’s brilliant to see the first of the grants being put into action and the benefits it will bring to people with cancer in the local area.

"These projects announced today are exactly the kind of programmes the grant scheme was set up to fund, to ensure people with cancer receive the personalised care they need, close to home and delivered from within their communities. It’s only by working together with local charities and communities that we can close some of the gaps in cancer care that we see too often today.”

Ulster Unionist Party Councillor Trevor Wilson welcomed the funding.

He said both charities are an important part of the Cookstown and wider Mid Ulster community, and the funding would play a vital role in them being able to continue with the excellent work that they carry out.

"It’s good to see this funding coming to Charis Cancer Care and Lilac Cancer Support,” said Councillor Wilson. “They are involved in caring and compassionate work daily, which is deeply appreciated by everyone in the community.”