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Centre Newsletter
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On 27th February, the Cancer Resource Centre threw a wonderful fundraiser at Battersea Power Station, hosted by long-standing patron, actress Geraldine James OBE.
The evening was held to say a huge thank you to all those who have generously supported our work over the years and to introduce the Centre to some who have expressed an interest in supporting us in the future.
Nearly 100 guests watched as the power station’s iconic towers were lit up in celebration of the Centre’s work. It was the first in a series of events which will mark the Centre’s 25th anniversary in August this year. The main celebration will take place during early autumn.
As well as Geraldine James herself, who worked tirelessly both in front of and behind the scenes, we are particularly grateful to Treasury Holdings UK for giving us such a marvellous venue free of charge and to all at Martin Professional plc for their generosity and hard work in lighting up the towers.
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Centre Patrons Angharad Rees
and Geraldine James with Genevieve O’Reilly (centre) |
Special thanks must also go to the Duncan Eagles Quartet for great jazz, artist John D Edwards for exhibiting a selection of his inspiring work, actress Genevieve O’Reilly who joined Geraldine James in reading some carefully chosen poems and extracts, and former Chair of Trustees, David Wakefield, who stood in for the Centre’s newly appointed President, Professor Karol Sikora.
Centre member Ava Banerjee and her team kept guests provided with the most delicious food (donated by Waitrose, Fruit on Demand and Sainsburys). Grateful thanks also to Caroline Clark for the event literature and for her hard work showing how much she cares about us.
Everyone said how much they had enjoyed the evening’s events and unique atmosphere and many wrote encouraging messages in the guest book provided by Geraldine James – a lasting reminder of the power of the Centre’s work to inspire and motivate its supporters.
One guest wrote: “Celebrating the considerable achievements of the Centre and looking forward to a future of expanded services, I felt so proud to be associated with the Centre.”
The African/Caribbean Support group organised an outing
for members and supporters to a new play by playwright, novelist and poet, Benjamin Zephaniah,
specially commissioned by The Prostate Cancer Charity to raise awareness
of prostate cancer within the African Caribbean community.
Launched on 5th March at the Hackney Empire, De Botty Business, so called after the rectal examination used to investigate prostate enlargement, is a hilarious comedy set in a barbers shop. It’s about a man facing the possibility of being tested for prostate cancer and tries to dispel cultural fears, myths and taboos about the disease.
African Caribbean men are three times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men and Benjamin Zephaniah, speaking after the performance said: “The most important thing I’ve learned about prostate cancer is not to remain ignorant about it.”
Founder and director of the Healing Journey Programme (HJP), Dr Alastair Cunningham, Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, will visit the Cancer Resource Centre from 26-28 June to train people to lead the programme in the UK.
Dr Cunningham’s work in this field was recognised in November last year, when he shared the Canadian Dr Rogers Prize for Excellence in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, awarded by an independent jury of international medical experts in recognition of pioneering work on the important role of the mind and its effect on the immune system.
The Award citation stated: “In the face of extreme scepticism, he started teaching psychological and spiritual approaches to patients and documenting the effects. He has helped thousands of cancer patients in Canada and around the world.” Details of the training and the attendance criteria can be downloaded from www.cancer-resource-centre. org.uk/hjtraining.html. Training brochures are also available from the Centre.
Interested professionals can also book a place to a talk by Dr Cunningham on the evening of 26th June, when he will explain the theory behind HJP and answer any questions. See www.cancer-resource- centre.org.uk/hjtalk.html for a booking form.
On 31st July 2007, the Guardian published an article by our Director, Petra Griffiths, which discussed the benefits that self-help can give to people with cancer. It was written in response to an article by Barbara Ehrenreich which had dismissed self-help methods.
The research that Petra quotes in her article comes from the Healing Journey programme, an exciting Canadian project for people with cancer that the Centre will introducing to the UK.
You can read the current issue of the Centre's newsletter together with previous ones by clicking here.
Petra Griffiths, the Centre Director, gave a talk to the National Conference of Cancer Self-Help Groups on the key to quality of life, based on the experience of our members and the reflections of our practitioners.
Addressing the 21st anniversary conference theme of 'the key', Petra observed that "the key is a process with many interconnected levels that each person journeys through at their own pace and in their idiosyncratic way, rather than a magic bullet that opens the door to quality of life for all."
She illustrated nine themes representing approaches that people may find contributes to their wellbeing, including 'Addressing Stressors', 'Human Beings not Human Doings', 'Listening to Ourselves', 'Taking Responsibility' and 'Giving Something Back'.
Petra’s talk was well received and can be viewed in full at www.cancer-resource-centre.org.uk/pgspeech.html.
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