At Cavendish Cancer Care, we've been here for families affected by cancer for more than 30 years.  We provide emotional, physical and practical support through one-to-one therapies, such as acupuncture, counselling and massage therapy, and also through a range of groups, courses and classes.

We see the person, not the disease, and all of our care is individually-tailored to each person's specific needs.  Our support can alleviate physical symptoms such as pain and nausea, reduce stress and anxiety, and help people to eat, sleep and move better.  We also help families to open up to one another and better support each other through some of the most difficult times they will ever face.

"The support from Cavendish has been transformational and redemptive, it has changed my trajectory completely.  They provide a tailored and sensitive response, a holistic approach and an empowering experience.  I felt heard and validated."

We operate on a self-referral basis, we can offer an initial appointment within five working days and all of our care is free-of-charge.  Cancer patients and their families can come to us whenever they need us and as often as they need us, from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond.

Aviva Community Fund donations will enable us to reach more families who so desperately need our support.  If we reach our target, we will be able to provide a full package of care to an extra 20 people, but every £27 you give will enable us to provide another hour of support to someone living with cancer.

In March 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK and made things even more difficult than they already were for cancer patients and their families.  Cancer brings a lot of stress and anxiety under any circumstances but this was made so much worse by the fear, worry and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic.  Shielding and social distancing also disrupted the social networks, friendships and family relationships on which people normally depend for support, leaving many feeling lonely and isolated.  Covid-19 also caused substantial delays and disruption to cancer screening, diagnostic testing and treatment.  As a result, many thousands of people were diagnosed later, leading to poorer prognoses and requiring them to endure more aggressive treatments with far greater side effects.

All of this meant it was more important than ever that we could be there for patients and their families.  However, the pandemic also forced us to temporarily close the doors of our therapy centre and pause our traditional face-to-face therapy provision.  Fortunately, we were able to respond rapidly to this challenge and began supporting people via the telephone and video calling within days of closing, adapting as many of our one-to-one therapies as we could for remote delivery.

In response to feedback and suggestions from our clients, we also launched a range of online groups, courses and classes.  These blend live teaching from our experienced, professional therapists with social and peer-to-peer support, as well as giving people lifetime access to a bank of online videos and other resources to support their health and wellbeing.  Specific topics covered by our courses include stress, anxiety, diet and nutrition, bereavement and grief.

For most people, our new online services have worked extremely well and 87% of people we supported last year reported a significant improvement in at least one of the specific issues they identified when they first came to us.  We are committed to maintaining online therapy for the long-term to maximise choice for the people we support and enable us to reach those who struggle to come to us at our centre for a variety of practical, financial and psychological reasons.  However, we also recognise that for some there is simply no substitute for coming to see us in person.  That is why we were delighted in September when we could begin the gradual process of reopening our centre and resuming face-to-face therapy.

We now want to build a fully-flexible, hybrid model of care which seamlessly blends online and in-person therapy provision, so that we can reach as many people as possible and provide each and every one of them with the best possible support.  Your donations can help us to do just this and to meet the rising demand for our care from people who are still coming to terms with the dual impact of cancer and Covid-19.  Please help us ensure that no one has to face cancer alone.

“I can’t praise Cavendish highly enough.  I wake up in the morning now, and I don’t have awful thoughts like I used to.  They lifted me out of a dark place, and helped me see the positive again.”