Lucy McGinn from The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre on how local people can help join the charity’s 20th anniversary celebrations

*The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre knows how to host a big party (credit Anne-Marie Sanderson)*

What originally started as an idea from a local priest to help those in his community get the care they need has since grown exponentially into a borough-wide haven, helping more than 10,000 people with free cancer support over the past 20 years.

The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre goes to show how a simple idea to care for your community can make a huge difference – and become something bigger than anyone expected. Today, the charity is a huge asset to the community and far exceeds the original expectations of its founders.

In addition to the free services we provide at the Nightingale, clients see our centre as a welcoming place where they can pop in, meet up with each other, and have a cup of coffee.

We have had one mission for the last 20 years; to help people cope with cancer. We’re incredibly proud to say, as we reach this milestone anniversary, that we have done this.

One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives and you, your family, friends or colleagues, will almost certainly have been touched by this difficult and devastating disease. In which case, you will understand how important it is to have a strong support network like the Nightingale.

We think there’s only one thing to do when a small local charity reaches a milestone like this: celebrate! On Saturday, 1st October we will be holding our 20th Anniversary Gala at the Double Tree by Hilton London Elstree Hotel in Hertfordshire.

After 20 hard years of work, it’s time for our clients, volunteers, supporters, donors and staff to let their hair down. Even if you’re only just hearing about the Nightingale for the first time in this article, we’d still love for you to join us! It’s never too late to be a Nightingale champion.

The evening is a chance to raise a toast to what we have achieved, those we have helped and those who have helped us. A night of glitz, glam and fine dining will include a drinks reception, three-course meal, entertainment, live music and dancing. Plus we will have table games, a raffle and an auction. Tickets include a discounted evening stay at the hotel, so you don’t have far to go when the dancing stops at 1am!

We could not have come this far without so many of you supporting us. Whether you have bought a raffle ticket, visited one of our charity shops, attended an event or made a donation, it is truly because of you that we are still here today providing free support.

It would be an honour to have you at the 20th Anniversary Gala, because it’s events like this that will enable Nightingale to be here to help another 10,000 people over the next 20 years.

For more information and to book tickets for Nightingale’s 20^th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, 1^st October:
Visit nightingalesupport.org.uk

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