The Charity

Macmillan Cancer Support, Registered Charity 261017, is heading for its 100th birthday in 2011. In 2000 the 2000th Macmillan nurse was funded and the organisation has a proud record by any standards.

Named after founder Douglas Macmillan, who was so moved by his father’s pain and suffering from cancer that he wanted advice and information for all cancer patients, special homes at little or no cost and voluntary nurses to attend to people in their own homes, a legacy living on in the greatly respected Macmillan Cancer Support of today.

Macmillan Cancer Support has been instrumental over these many years in:

• Providing practical help to patients and their families
• Supporting in-patient care
• Contributing towards building hospices
• Setting up and equipping Macmillan cancer care units
• Training doctors, nurses and students in advanced pain control and cancer care
• Pioneering minimum standard care levels and providing a ‘voice’
• Developing and distributing UK cancer services information to General Practitioners
• Operating specialist telephone help lines including for young people
• Continuing to build up and offer practical, medical, emotional and financial support and life improvements to the one in three of us affected by cancer.

In 2009 we raised a staggering £119 million across the UK, but the work doesn’t stop. Throughout 2010 Macmillan hopes to raise £122 million, £539,000 in Hampshire alone, to provide more specialist Macmillan nurses, essential cancer services and high-quality information to ensure no on living with cancer goes without the support they need. 99% of Macmillan’s funds come from voluntary donations and these vital pounds support our medical, emotional, financial and practical work helping thousands of cancer patients and their families.