KNOWLE residents have shown their support for a new breast cancer support centre in Solihull.
Breast Cancer Haven, the national breast cancer support charity, held one of its signature ‘Big Tea Cosy’ events at the Guild House to raise funds and awareness for the support centre – which will open in October.
Guests at the event included Dame Caroline Spelman MP and former Knowle resident and Great British Bake Off series one contestant Jasminder Randhawa.
The new centre, which will be located on St Bernard’s Road, will provide vital one-to-one support for the 12,500 breast cancer patients in the West Midlands region, a service currently unavailable locally.
Working closely with NHS partners, the Breast Cancer Haven team go beyond medical treatment to help service users and their families cope with the wider impact of breast cancer.
The centre will offer drop-ins, welfare and money guidance, support groups and welcome days.
Amanda Elliott, West Midlands fundraising manager for Breast Cancer Haven, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people turn up to support our Big Tea Cosy in Knowle.
“The event raised over £500 for our West Midlands centre which will ensure that more local people can benefit from our vital support services.”
Demand for a new centre in the West Midlands has been made clear by the support received following oversubscribed outreach days by the charity’s Hereford centre.
Amanda added: “We expect to support 750 people with breast cancer on an annual basis.
“This equates to over 6,670 hours of free therapy appointments in the first year alone.”
The charity is currently refurbishing a former guest house to create a true ‘home from home’ for those accessing support.
Each year, Breast Cancer Haven must raise more than £600,000 to ensure the centre can deliver and sustain its running costs.
