“Our service users, or FACT Family as we like to call them, are isolated and scared, and the current pandemic is making dealing with the impacts of cancer even more difficult than it would be in normal circumstances.
“Our fundraising has all but stopped and grants like this are literally a lifeline to us … which makes them a lifeline for those we look after.”
This statement from the Founder and Chief Executive of a small charity in North East England sums up the struggle that almost all charities throughout the U.K. are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With little or no income and their workload increasing, the effect is devastating, not only for the charities, but also causing unimaginable suffering and hardship for cancer patients.
The emergency grant that Walk the Walk has now given will allow FACT to continue offering crucial support services to vulnerable people affected by cancer. These include telephone counselling sessions, helpline and befriending calls, home visits with food donations and bereavement support.
At the end of June breast cancer charity Walk the Walk announced that it would be stepping in with emergency grants, to support frontline UK cancer charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity’s Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough was so concerned about the effect on the lives of cancer patients during the past three months, she felt Walk the Walk really had to do something to try and help.
Nina Barough CBE, Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive said: “I have been overwhelmed by the number of cancer charities who have contacted Walk the Walk regarding the emergency grants; I just wish we were able to help everyone.
“We really feel that by giving the first of these grants to FACT that it will enable them to continue to make a difference in a part of the country that really needs support during these next few difficult months. Anyone who has come into contact with Joanne from FACT cannot fail to be inspired by her incredible enthusiasm and commitment to helping people living with cancer.”
FACT need money, but would also love to receive donations of food and cleaning products, to pass on to cancer patients within the community. Contact FACT on 0191 442 0833 or info@fact-cancersupport.co.uk
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