Located at Cheltenham General Hospital, Maggie’s Cheltenham will complement the treatment on offer at the hospital, offering an evidence based programme of support to help people through the emotional and practical complexities of a cancer diagnosis.

Maggie’s Cheltenham is the seventh Maggie’s Centre, following on from five centres in Scotland and one in London. Maggie’s Cheltenham is the first of five centres planned for England and Wales as part of the ambitious £15million Joy of Living (JOL) Fundraising Campaign, spearheaded by Maggie’s Patron Sarah Brown.

The stunning new centre is designed by Sir Richard MacCormac, the former President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and is surrounded by a garden created by Dr Christine Facer Hoffman, whose landscaping is often inspired by her previous career as an immunobiologist.

Maggie’s Chief Executive Laura Lee said: “It is an honour to have our President, Her Royal Highness, here today to open Maggie’s Cheltenham and celebrate this day with us. People across the region have put a tremendous effort into fundraising to make this centre a reality and today the local community should be proud of the lasting legacy they have created for the thousands affected by the devastating consequences of cancer. Maggie’s proven programme of support will act as an antidote to the isolation and despair of a cancer diagnosis. Sir Richard and Dr Facer Hoffman have designed a truly unique environment, which will help to facilitate this support, by making people feel safe, inspired and valued. Under one extraordinary roof, Maggie’s will help people to find their way out of the hopelessness of cancer.”

Maggie's Centres are the vision of the designer and landscape architect Maggie Keswick Jencks which resulted from her own experience of cancer. She had a vision of beautiful buildings, located on hospital grounds, staffed by cancer professionals, where people could drop in at any time for the support and inspiration to not only cope with cancer, but to live their lives to the full. Maggie died in 1995, one year before the opening of the inaugural Maggie’s Edinburgh. Maggie’s has since pioneered a remarkable building design movement, bringing the contemplative architecture of cancer caring centres to hospital sites.

Sir Richard MacCormac, of MJP Architects, said: “Maggie Keswick Jencks was a friend and it has been an honour to be part of her legacy. We designed this centre very much with Maggie in mind. It is a unique facility, which I’m sure will be well used and appreciated by everybody affected by cancer in the local area. We hope our project supports the ambience of Maggie’s Centres and offers a refuge from institutional surroundings; a space that is inviting, domestic and refreshing, and can be both sociable and private.”

Dr Christine Facer Hoffman, a scientist with a previously successful career in medical science, now runs a dynamic landscape design practice specialising in contemporary design. Dr Facer Hoffman said: “With the knowledge that stimulating landscapes create a healing environment, Maggie’s Cheltenham design is inspired by the mathematically-derived sigmoid curve, a tilted S-shape motif which is a visual metaphor for life and living, aspects so relevant to the centre. The curving entrance path links to an eye-catching S-shaped water sculpture by Bill Pye. The courtyard garden adjacent to the centre provides both a restful and energising place to engage the senses.”

Maggie’s Cheltenham lies at the heart of the three Counties Cancer Network and is a stone’s throw from the NHS Cancer Treatment Centre at Cheltenham General Hospital. It will serve the populations of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, South Worcestershire and parts of Powys - approximately 1.1 million people.

Dr Sam Guglani, Consultant Oncologist, at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very pleased to see the Maggie’s Cheltenham Centre open today. Within this area there are approximately 4,000 new cases of cancer every year, with each diagnosis affecting not only patients, but whole networks of family and friends. The services available at the Maggie’s Centre will complement the treatment given to patients across the Three Counties and we believe this will make an important and real impact on their care.”
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For more media information please contact Katie Tait on katie.tait@maggiescentres.org or 0207 386 3535 (07500 842900).

Notes to the Editor:

Maggie’s Centres

Maggie’s Centres offer free-of-charge emotional support and practical advice to anyone affected by any kind of cancer. The programme of support includes: benefits advice; support group and one-to-one sessions with psychologists; nutrition advice; a library of information and cancer support specialists on hand to answer questions; relaxation techniques; courses of living with cancer; classes for carers, and much more. The inaugural Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh 1996. There are now seven permanent Centres – Glasgow, Dundee, Fife, Highlands, London, Cheltenham – with plans to build a further seven Centres in the next two years – Oxford, Glasgow Gartnavel, South West Wales (Swansea), North East (Newcastle), Nottingham, Lanarkshire and Aberdeen. www.maggiescentres.org

The Three Counties Cancer Network (3CCN)

The 3CCN was established to facilitate partnerships between primary, secondary and tertiary providers and the voluntary sector in the provision of services to people with cancer. Its core objectives are to ensure the provision of consistent, high quality and equitable services through strong leadership and management of national guidance. The 3CCN covers Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, parts of Powys and South Worcestershire. The Network serves a catchment population of just over one million people, who live in two strategic health authorities: South West and West Midlands; three PCTs: Gloucestserhire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire; and four district general hospitals in three acute trusts: Cheltenham General (CGH) and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals (GRH) in Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GHFT), Hereford County Hospital (HCH) in Herefordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (HHT) and Worcestershire Royal Hospital (WRH) in Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT). In addition, part of the Powys population is served by Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust. The majority of non-surgical oncology services are managed by the Gloucestershire Oncology Centre from Cheltenham General Hospital.