Tag: Macmillan Cancer Support

Exciting new venue for this years’ Edinburgh Macmillan Art show

 The much-loved Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show is back this month with a live show (25th & 26th November) plus an online exhibition (25th November – 3rd December) hoping to add to the £550,000 they’ve already raised for Macmillan Cancer Support spanning over two decades. 

For the first time the show will be held in the Cornerstone Centre, St John’s Church (on the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road) on 25th and 26th November. It will then continue online until 3rd December. 

This limited time show is run purely by volunteers with a dedicated committee volunteering their time and expertise to orchestrate a highly professional art show for the 21st year. 

This year, over 300 pieces of art will feature, at an estimated value of over £100,000. At least 50% of each piece sold is donated to the cancer charity.

These include works by Rosalind Lawless, Ian Darling, Lynn McGregor RSW, Wendy Helliwell, Charity McArdle, Marion MacPhee, Catriona Millar and Lakshman Wimalasena.

ALAN ARMSTRONG

Artist, Alan Armstrong, is a 48 year old neurodivergent adult with a diagnosis of ADHD and Autism. Throughout the various lockdowns he used Art Therapy for himself, but has also brought his creativity to artists with sight impairment and other additional needs. This experience has led to the development of ‘elevated abstract skills’.

He has collaborated with The Wee Hub (Living Memory Association) on Creative ADHD 2022, Remakery Refashion Edinburgh, ArtSquat, Edinburgh Stories with Sally Richardson, Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, Make Plastic Magic 2023 with Pianodrome and Hannah Evans, Out Of Sight Out Of Mind and REVOLUTION 2023.

Alan has two paintings in this years’ Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show and says he’s always had admiration for Macmillan and the work they do. “My family lost our Nana Morag and Uncle Jim to this horrible disease and the impact of watching them become ill was awful because we could not stop the hold it had on them.

“I want to support Macmillan to keep helping others who are amazingly courageous to keep fighting to live and live well. I hope you enjoy my Art as much as I do! I really thrive from giving back to my community.”

EVELYN MCEWAN

Artist, Evelyn McEwan, is a retired Biomedical scientist who, after a career working in Clinical Laboratories, has now taken to painting as a second career.

She started in 2004 with a class on watercolours but now paints in all mediums. She is a member of Veronica Liddell’s Corra Linn Artists Group in New Lanark and Sharon Bradley’s Biggar Botanical Artists Group and has three paintings in this years’ art show.

“I worked in NHS Clinical laboratories for 44 years helping to provide results for diagnosis, quick turn-around testing for patients waiting for chemotherapy and blood transfusion support for those who needed it. So, I saw at first hand the number of people affected by cancer.

“But it isn’t until your own family and friends are touched by the disease that you realise the amazing job Macmillan do for families and individuals. Art is a hobby for me, and I’m honoured to be able to use that gift to give something back and to support Macmillan.” 

Matt Smith, Macmillan Fundraising Manager in Edinburgh said “I’m delighted to be working alongside the committee on the annual Edinburgh Macmillan Art Show.

“They are an incredible group full of talented, committed, and passionate individuals who come together to create one of the most exciting events in Macmillan’s Scottish calendar. 

“We want to say a huge thank you to everyone on the Art Show committee for their support, for raising vital funds and helping raise awareness. It is thanks to the incredible dedication of volunteers such as these that we can continue to provide services to support people living with cancer at every stage of their cancer experience.”

The true value of the money raised, and the artwork donated is recognised in the services that Macmillan provides for cancer patients across Scotland.

In supporting the event, artists and art lovers are helping people to live their best possible life with cancer. 

Macmillan’s Art Show is available to view online here:

http://www.macmillanartshow.org.uk

Greene King pubs across Scotland raise record-breaking £193,743 to help people living with cancer

  • Huge charitable effort from Greene King pubs across Scotland as they raise a phenomenal £193,743 for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022
  • Greene King’s total raised for Macmillan Cancer Support tops an incredible £3million in 2022, the highest 12-month total
  • Greene King has raised over £14million during its10-year partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support 

Greene King pubs across Scotland raised an amazing £193,743 for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2022 to help people living with cancer.

The brilliant fundraising efforts by pub teams and the generous support of customers means that the money raised can be used to support the 155 Macmillan professionals currently funded by the charity across Scotland such as specialist dietitians, therapists and the iconic Macmillan nurse. 

Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has now raised a staggering £14million for Macmillan over its 10-year charity partnership. The tenth year marked a record breaking £3million annual total for the charity. This equates to £342 raised every hour in 2022, which is enough to fund a Macmillan nurse for a whole day.

There was an outstanding effort from kind-hearted regulars and team members at Greene King’s Smiddy Inn in Cumbernauld where a phenomenal £12,518 was raised over the past year.

There was a busy calendar of fundraising events at the popular Ben Lawers Drive pub involving the pub team, regulars and the wider community. Highlights included walking the Rob Roy, the family fun day and taking part in the Edinburgh Tartan Track as well as a host of raffles, hampers, quizzes and bingo nights.

Julia Hutton, general manager of the Smiddy Inn, said: “We are just so proud of everyone’s efforts here at the pub. We were determined to pull out all the stops and set our targets high. And we did it!

“This really was a team effort. The fun days, craft days and Christmas market were great. At every event we have a raffle table, it’s simple but effective and keeps the money rolling in. We go around the pub with collection buckets and people are always happy to pop some money in.

“Our thanks go out to everyone who works here and all our customers. What a year it has been. We have a wall chart showing what we have raised so everyone can see the progress we are making. We’ve had fun in our fundraising and it’s been great to do our bit. Let’s see what we can do in 2023!”

Alison Ramsay, senior social impact manager at Greene King, said: “This is proof that charity really is at the heart of all our pubs. What better way is there to celebrate our 10-year partnership with Macmillan than by having a record-breaking 12-months of fundraising.

“Our teams and customers are simply brilliant to have raised over £3million in 2022. Sadly, we all know someone living with cancer but we know every single pound raised in our pubs helps.”

Local Macmillan Relationship Fundraising Manager, Kirsteen Plop, said: “What a fantastic effort. A big thank you and well done to all the Greene King team members and customers at the Smiddy Inn in Cumbernauld for their amazing fundraising. £12,518 is such a brilliant total.

“Right now, Macmillan is needed now more than ever, and we want to be there for people living with cancer in our community. Macmillan services, such as the innovative and free 12-week Macmillan Move More – North Lanarkshire programme which offers a wide variety of gentle exercise sessions in a number of locations, make a real difference to the lives of people living with cancer and we simply couldn’t do what we do without the support of our partners like Greene King.

“We’re immensely grateful to everyone at Greene King for their continued and generous support of Macmillan and the millions of pounds that the partnership has raised over the years.”

Miles Briggs MSP raises a cup for Macmillan Cancer Support

One in two of us will face a cancer diagnosis in our lifetime. Going through cancer treatment or getting a diagnosis is tough enough to deal with, and now the cost-of-living crisis is increasing people’s worries.  It’s never been more important for people living with cancer to get the urgent help they need. 

Macmillan Cancer Support is doing whatever it takes to support people in Scotland from the moment they are diagnosed. Macmillan health professionals are working tirelessly across Scotland, local Macmillan Benefits advisors are at the end of the phone, and the charity’s Improving the Cancer Journey team provide much needed support with the emotional, practical and financial impact of cancer in various locations across Scotland.

The cancer charity relies almost entirely on public donations. That’s why Macmillan is calling on people to dust off their aprons and get involved in this year’s Macmillan Coffee Morning to raise invaluable funds.  

Kate Seymour, Macmillan Cancer Support said: “Last year, people hosted Coffee Mornings across Scotland and raised over £710,000 which was amazing. It helped us to provide much needed support, including Macmillan Grants to over 4,000 people in Scotland.

“Whether you host a Coffee Morning or join in, every penny raised helps Macmillan to provide the local services that people living with cancer desperately need, especially at the moment.

“This year, Macmillan Coffee Morning is on Friday 30 September. Whether it’s a traybake with pals in the garden, a virtual Coffee Morning by screen, or a cuppa and cake in the office, hold yours however and whenever you like. There are so many reasons to host a Coffee Morning – whatever your reason, it’s a great one! Every Coffee Morning has the power to raise vital pounds.” 

There’s lots of information online including recipes and hosting ideas.

To find out more and sign up to host a Macmillan Coffee Morning today, visit www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee 

For comprehensive cancer information and support visit www.macmillan.org.uk  

Team at Western and Barnetts Mazda complete their first-ever charity walk

  • Western and Barnetts Mazda employees tackle 14.5 mile walk to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
  • First-ever charity walk took over four hours to complete and has raised over £13,500 so far.
  • Local customers can visit the Scottish dealerships located in Edinburgh and Dundee.

Team members from Western and Barnetts Mazda completed a charity walk on Sunday 12 June to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Exemplifying Mazda’s ‘challenger spirit’, employees from Western and Barnetts Mazda tackled their first-ever 14.5 mile walk in just over four hours and saw the team travel from one of our Group dealerships in Fife, through historic areas of Dunfermline, across the Forth Road Bridge and finish with a celebratory BBQ picnic at the Western Mazda dealership near Edinburgh.

Helen Burns, Marketing Manager at Western and Barnetts Mazda, said: “We are incredibly proud of our entire team for completing the walk and raising such vital funds for Macmillan. A short while ago, we collectively chose a charity to raise a serious amount of money for and Macmillan Cancer Support is a fantastic choice that is close to so many people’s hearts as cancer is something that sadly affects too many of us and our families.”

Adding, “We set ourselves an impressive target of raising £15,000 for Macmillan which we’re so incredibly close to achieving. By raising over £13,500 already, we’re proud that this money could pay for a Macmillan nurse for over two months which would help people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support. We’re grateful for every single donation so far, kind comments and messages of support, from our colleagues, friends and family and business partners.” 

Established as a Mazda dealership since 2010, Western and Barnetts Mazda are part of the Eastern Western Motor Group, founded in 1927, which is one of Scotland’s largest privately-owned dealer groups.

To donate or for more information on Western and Barnetts Mazda’s Macmillan walk, visit the Just Giving page here. Alternatively, call Western Mazda on 0131 313 0500 or visit the Luxury Car Village dealership near Edinburgh. You can contact Barnetts Mazda on 01382 665 506 or visit the dealership on Riverside Drive, Dundee.

New stress reduction initiative has paw-sitive impact on staff!

AN EDINBURGH-based financial services recruitment firm has enlisted some four-legged volunteers to help reduce stress and increase activity amongst its staff while raising money for charity.

The 22 strong team at Core-Asset Consulting will be walking 100km for MacMillan Cancer Support throughout the month of November with the help of the team’s various office dogs.

Kicking off during International Stress Awareness Week at the beginning of November, the fundraising initiative will run throughout the month, encouraging staff to take short walking breaks from their desk with one of the eight canines who regularly frequent the office.  

Coinciding with the recent introduction of a Friday morning canine running club, the walking challenge is hoped to boost morale, decrease stress and encourage healthy habits amongst staff.


Rachael O’Neill, Associate Director of Investment Operations and owner of one of the dogs taking part, Luca, said: “Stress can have a massive impact on mental wellbeing and one of the best ways to combat it is through exercise.

“We already have a regular running club on a Friday morning – wanted to encourage everyone to move more and take regular breaks from their desks throughout the week.

“Staff can take part as little or as often as they like and can walk for as long as they like too. Each distance will be added to an overall tally so it will be a real team effort.

“Our office is dog friendly and a lot of staff take advantage of this. We have Loki, Atlas, Pluto, Shadow, Ruby, Maggie and Cookie as well as my dog Luca. While they’re not all in at once, on any given day you’ll find at least one or more wandering about the office!

“Luca is in every day and Pluto is in most regularly. They both take part in our Friday running club and are loving the attention and the extra walks.

“Luca is very much a lockdown pup so the extra socialising has been great for her. It’s such a weight off not having the pressure of leaving her at home or finding a dog sitter too.”

In addition to the walking challenge, Rachael has been providing staff with stress balls, dedicated stress awareness podcasts and Ted Talks to help her colleagues manage their stress effectively.  

Core-Asset Consulting is Scotland’s pre-eminent recruitment and headhunting agency dedicated to financial and professional services.

Formed in 2005, it was born out of Betsy’s desire to take the best of her experience of large corporate recruiters, applying the focus on infrastructure and training to a more sector-specialised business.

Based in Edinburgh, the £14m firm employs 22 people and works across the entire financial services sector, from the smallest boutiques to the biggest global players.

Initially the firm carved its reputation in Scotland’s globally-renowned asset management sector. However, the success of its model allowed it to expand across the wider financial services market. It now boasts dedicated accounting, investment operations and finance teams and also works in Scotland’s thriving legal sector.

 To find out more about Core Asset visit: https://core-asset.co.uk/

Support Service details at your fingertips with NHSinform

As pandemic restrictions begin to ease people in Scotland are encouraged to join over 30,000 others who have already turned to Scotland’s Service Directory in 2021 as a convenient way to find support services for health and wellbeing at their fingertips.

Scotland’s Services Directory has been developed by NHS 24 in association with Macmillan Cancer Support and health and care charity The Alliance.  The online directory offers contact details for local, quality-assured, health and care services across all regions in Scotland. Every Health and Social Care Partnership has a number of services listed.

Scotland’s Service Directory is available on NHSinform.scot providing  easy access on a wide range of health and wellbeing groups and services, including how to stay active, cancer services, dementia support, social activities for mental health, and money advice. NHS services are also listed.

A national campaign promoting the Directory will run over summer.

Leading Scotish artist turns Dr. Doolittle to support battle against cancer

Wendy Helliwell went wild at Blair Drummond Safari Park as she sought inspiration to create artworks that she hopes will raise much-needed funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. 

Their much-loved Art Show returns to Edinburgh this year celebrating its 17th anniversary in November (Thursday 7th – Sunday 10th November), at the Apex Hotel on Waterloo Place. Continue reading Leading Scotish artist turns Dr. Doolittle to support battle against cancer

Cancer treatment plans should include tailored exercise prescriptions, says expert panel

A global panel of exercise oncology experts has published new guidance recommending the systematic use of an “exercise prescription” to help cancer patients cope with treatment side effects and lower the risk of developing certain cancers. Continue reading Cancer treatment plans should include tailored exercise prescriptions, says expert panel