Secondary breast cancer charity Make 2nds Count is unwrapping a bumper festive bundle of activities to get its Christmas campaign off to a sparkling start.
Sadly, while others enjoy the season of goodwill, it can be a very lonely time for patients, individuals and families coping with the impacts of secondary breast cancer. A recent YouGov poll revealed that 60% of those impacted by a diagnosis find the festive period especially difficult and isolating.
But the charity is bringing the Christmas spirit to patients and their loved ones with a package of initiatives to show support for people living with this incurable form of the disease which claims the lives of 1,000 women a month in the UK.
Make 2nds Count aims to raise £15,000 through the sale of Tree of Hope baubles, plus further funds from specially commissioned Christmas cards and charity partnerships with Dalkeith Country Park’s festive Spectacle of Light and McLarens on the Corner in Edinburgh.
The Make 2nds Count Tree of Hope initiative gives people the chance to donate by buying a Christmas bauble which is not only a beautiful decoration for the tree but a poignant tribute to a current patient or lost loved one.
Supporters donating to the Tree of Hope pay £25 for a bauble, featuring the name of the person they are honouring, in return for a virtual bauble with a personalised message on the Make 2nds Count website and delivery of their personalised bauble keepsake in January.
There are also standard Make 2nds Count baubles available for £15 that the charity hopes to see in homes across the UK this year, the third year of the Tree of Hope initiative.
Dalkeith Country Park will showcase its own Tree of Hope as part of its Spectacle of Light event where visitors can add a ribbon to commemorate a loved one, and all donations will come to the charity. They are also providing collection tins for any spare change, at till points in its Fort Douglas and Restoration Yard’s store and eateries, and signage around the park with a QR code.
The limited-edition Christmas cards, designed by Make 2nds Count supporter Nikki Hughes, are available through the charity in packs of eight for a minimum donation of £6. In addition, there is the opportunity to donate online for a virtual card.
McLarens are once again supporting Make 2nds Count this Christmas by hosting a Tree of Hope and by adding a £1 discretionary charge on every Christmas booking and they will match the total at the end of the festive season.
Emma Hall, Head of Operations for Make 2nds Count says: “Christmas is a magical time but we know that it can be quite a challenging period for secondary breast cancer patients and their families.
“However, the fantastic response we always get from the public to our festive campaign gives us all a real boost. We’re confident this year people will be as generous as they can afford to be and every donation, no matter how modest, helps tremendously as we support people not only at Christmas but throughout the year.”
Make 2nds Count supports secondary breast cancer patients and their families and campaigns to raise awareness of, and fund research into the disease – also known as metastatic, advanced or stage IV breast cancer – a form of cancer which has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. On average there are around 35,000 patients in the UK currently living with this form of cancer.
To find out more about how to support the charity’s Christmas campaign visit:
https://www.make2ndscount.co.uk/get-involved/christmas/
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