AYRSHIRE CANCER SUPPORT
SUPPORTING THOSE AFFECTED BY CANCER IN AYRSHIRE
Gill Sherry
If you stay in Ayrshire, you will undoubtedly have heard of Ayrshire Cancer Support. It is, after all, the county’s leading cancer charity, first established in 1982.
“From then it just grew and grew and established all of the other services that are now available, just from realising what people needed. So it’s not just transport, it’s counselling, it’s complementary therapies, it’s having somewhere to go and speak to somebody. Over that space of 40 years it’s just grown exponentially.”
I’m speaking with Kirsty McCall, Executive Assistant at Ayrshire Cancer Support. Kirsty has been with the charity for three years and even in that time, has seen a huge change.
“We’re constantly expanding the services that we offer, and that is very much led by what the community wants and needs. We are continuously increasing the range of support groups we offer and organisations we partner with to provide support.”
Examples of such partnerships include Look Good Feel Better, a charity that uses ACS space to provide a hair and make-up workshop; Breast Cancer Now which presents a Moving Forward course; and Living Well with Prostate Cancer, a course delivered in conjunction with Prostate Scotland.
We’re joined by Lauran Cooper, Cancer Support Specialist, who assesses the needs of individuals to ensure they receive the right support for them.
“This is actually a new post here at ACS,” she says of her role. “It allows us to provide a more holistic approach, meaning that we look at all of their needs. This, alongside our clinical knowledge in the background, allows us to individually support people affected by cancer.”
Lauran goes on to say that there are no strict criteria in relation to who can access support – the services are there for everyone, of any age.
“Cancer doesn’t just impact the person with the diagnosis; it can affect partners, friends and children. We know the difficulties cancer can cause physically, emotionally, financially, and socially. It really does affect everyone so differently.”
Lauran describes her role as a privilege and one which highlights the need for the services provided. Which is why ACS has invested in a new cancer support centre in Ayr.
“We did have premises in Wellington Square in Ayr,” explains Kirsty, “but they just weren’t big enough for what we wanted to do. During the pandemic, we realised the need for Children and Young People services and the need for a space to deliver these additional services from.”
This led to the charity selling the Wellington Square property and purchasing the old St Andrews Hotel in Prestwick Road.
“It’s a huge refurbishment project,” Kirsty continues. “We are keeping the original part of the building but have completely demolished the extensions and are rebuilding a new centre with a bright and airy drop-in space. With bespoke spaces for children, young people and adults, it will be really well equipped to provide support for anyone who needs to access our services.”
All being well, the new premises will be operational from spring next year, but in the meantime, it’s very much business as usual.
“We’re very aware of the amount of different cancers that people are impacted by,” Lauran tells me. “We are in close contact with our clinical staff at the hospital… which means we can understand what the demographics are that we are seeing and ask what is missing in Ayrshire.
“We like to think of ourselves as a connection from peer to peer allowing those impacted by or bereaved from cancer to access a wide range of services. It’s allowing people to come in and meet their peers who are perhaps going through similar circumstances.”
Both Kirsty and Lauran are keen to emphasise the importance of the charity’s drop-in facilities which are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The main drop-in centre is at 5 Dundonald Road, Kilmarnock.
Lauran says: “Often when somebody is diagnosed with cancer there can be a lot of questions and uncertainties. We can offer that space for answering these questions and allow people to talk about treatment and the impact it’s having on their loved ones in a safe and open environment.”
ACS currently has 21 paid members of staff and around 200 volunteers, which highlights just how important those volunteers are. If you’re interested in volunteering, details of the roles that are available can be found at www.ayrshirecs.org or by emailing volunteering@ayrshirecs.org.
“Volunteers are an integral part of our service,” Kirsty confirms. “I don’t know what we’d do without them.”
In fact, ACS has recently received its Investing in Volunteers (IiV) accreditation – the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management. It has also recently been named as a finalist in the Charity of the Year category in the Ayrshire Business Awards.
Of course, it’s impossible to discuss a charity without mentioning fundraising and Lauran takes the opportunity to thank those people who are kind enough to donate.
“It’s blown me away, the kindness that people are showing and the amount that people are raising. We don’t receive any statutory funding so public fundraising is a vital part in ensuring all our services are free to access.”
Kirsty would encourage those interested in fundraising for the charity to keep an eye on its social media platforms where details of organised events are shared. That said, ACS is equally supportive of those with their own fundraising ideas.
There’s no doubt that working in a cancer-related environment has its challenges, fundraising included, but both women get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from their roles.
“A lot of patients choose to share their stories,” says Kirsty, “and it’s hearing people say ‘I don’t know what I would’ve done if Ayrshire Cancer Support wasn’t there’. It really hits home that we are needed. Being able to provide that service is amazing. For me, the job satisfaction is working for a charity that you know is making that much of a difference.”
Lauran agrees: “I’ve been a cancer nurse for a number of years and since starting here, it just feels like a privilege to be able to do this. Our role is to support people and it’s amazing to witness what happens in that space around a table with a cup of tea.”
It’s been a pleasure to talk to these dedicated ladies. But Kirsty has one final thing to say: “Everybody’s journey is different… and the services that we offer are not only for people that have a diagnosis of cancer… it’s for anybody that’s affected in any way. Our services are here and they’re free. You can pop in for a chat, you can pop in for a cuppa and find out what support is available. It doesn’t need to be anything formal, just come in!”
For more information, contact 01563 538008.
