Every year, nearly 400,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, facing tough questions, exhausting treatment and difficult emotions. These challenges affect not only those with cancer, but their family and friends too.
Here with you
The first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996 and since then Maggie’s has continued to grow, with 24 Centres at major NHS cancer hospitals in the UK. Maggie’s programme of support has been shown to strengthen the physical and emotional wellbeing of people with cancer and their loved ones.
The Maggie’s Oxford centre is in the grounds of the Churchill Hospital in Headington. We’re open from 9am to 5pm every weekday, and you can just drop in, no referral is needed.
Professional support
Many of our staff are NHS-trained and all our Cancer Support Specialists have expert knowledge about cancer and treatment. Our centres have psychologists and benefits advisors who are available for anyone with cancer and those close to them. We also work with experts who provide exercise groups, yoga, nutrition advice and much more.
How does Maggie’s help?
Our workshops, courses, one-to-one and group support session help people to change the way they live with cancer. We focus on the things that really make a difference, like money worries, help with stress and depression, managing side-effects and relationship and family support.
Understanding every person’s individual circumstances is central to what we do and means we can guide them to the support that will help them the most. Our cancer support is evaluated regularly, and is informed by external research findings, our own research and advice from our external reviews.
A friendly space
Maggie’s centres are all original and inspiring. They are calm, welcoming places, full of light and warmth. They each have a kitchen table at their heart and offer glimpses of nature in their surroundings. Our centres are almost like visiting a good friend who can provide a listening ear in a comfortable setting. Our Oxford centre is like a tree-house, set in the trees – and facing away from the clinical setting of the Churchill Hospital.
Pip Dingle, Centre Fundraising Manager at Maggie’s Oxford says; “We are so incredibly proud to be the charity partner of WalkWithMe. We love working with the team in the run-up to the event and are always overjoyed to see how much people embrace the the challenge of walking 26miles. It’s such an incredible atmosphere and a brilliantly organised event. All your efforts go towards helping people with cancer and their loved ones. Every penny raised helps to keep our centre open and to provide support when people with cancer and their loved ones need it the most. It means the world to us that you are involved. Thank you!”
No5 has been providing free, confidential mental health support, counselling and outreach for young people aged 11-25 who live, work or study in the ‘RG’ postcode area since 1971.​ They have supported over 30,000 young people and their families in the last 53 years, and now their counselling and outreach services reach 2,500 young people every year – offering over 8,500 counselling sessions last year.
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75% of all mental health difficulties in adults begin in adolescence, and No5’s mission is to provide open-access, early intervention mental health support for young people experiencing distress to help them be heard, heal, and thrive into adulthood.​ Counselling takes place in-person in Central Reading, in seven local schools, online or over the phone. Every young person receives up to 20 weeks of counselling at the same time, same place, with the same counsellor, every week.
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Young people and their parents can ask No5 for help directly – they don’t need to go through school, or wait to see a GP or any other professional before speaking to No5.​ Demand for No5’s service has never been higher, with almost 1,000 young people waiting for counselling.
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No5 also has outreach services including mental health education, workshops, creative expressive wellbeing programmes, School Transitions support, projects that support young people at risk of exclusion from school, and digital outreach, information and resources. All of this is devised and delivered by Lived Experience Young Leaders and Young Ambassadors, alongside counsellors – bridging the gap between young people and professionals, and promoting young voice and co-production.
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No5 supports young people with a whole range of difficulties – depression, anxiety, OCD, Autism, ADHD, disordered eating, and unfortunately all too often, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
Young people tell us the longer-term support available to them at No5 is what gives them the opportunity to build the long-term trusting relationship with No5, and with their counsellor, that they desperately need.
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Young people say that as a result of their support they:
- Are happier
- Stop self-harming
- Become self-aware
- Build confidence
- Better understand their emotions
- Can manage themselves, their emotions and behaviour
- Feel less isolated
- Reconnect with their families
- Engage more meaningfully in their lives and with the adult world in the ways they want to – this includes re-engaging in school, going to university, and entering employment.
Alyson Wylding, Lived Experience Director at No5 says:
“We are so pleased to be chosen as the second Charity Partner of WalkWithMe for 2025. It is always a privilege to come together with people driven by a shared mission to create communities of care and support. We are looking forward to being involved with organising the walk and sharing the opportunity to participate with our network of local supporters. We always learn hugely from listening and collaborating with those involved in the lives of young people, as well as young people themselves. This is invaluable to us, along with the funds that will be raised to directly support the delivery of mental health services, counselling and preventative outreach for young people. Thank you for getting involved, and for your support.”
