Macmillan Cancer Support has secured a £100,000 fundraising pledge from their charity partners.

The money will be raised from a combination of limited-edition Baxters soup sales and by Baxters’ staff taking part in activities ranging from sky diving and bungee jumping to raffles and race nights.

By 2020, almost one in two people will get cancer at some point in their lives and the £100,000 raised could pay for two Macmillan nurses for a year.

Macmillan nurses help people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support. Over the course of a year two Macmillan Nurses on average will help 336 patients with cancer, with many friends, family and colleagues supported too.

Macmillan are probably best known for their specialist nurses who support people through their treatment, but they also offer a range of other services like financial advice and help.

27-year-old Thom had emergency surgery for colon cancer, followed by nearly six months of chemotherapy. It affected his ability to work, and as a self-employed person, he worried about being able to pay his bills. He said:

I’ve always been self-employed. And things were kind of good, but you don’t realise until you get no income how that gap between having safety and being in debt is a very short period of time.

When you can’t afford £20 to pay your phone bill or when you can’t afford your rent – it happens really quickly. And then you pretty much don’t have anywhere else to go.

I quickly worked out that I had to find some option, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills.  Denise, who was my benefits adviser, told me exactly what I was and wasn’t entitled to.  Without Denise being there to go ‘Right, this is what you’re entitled to and this is how we’re going to sort it and this is how we fill the forms out’, I wouldn’t have known how to sort it out. I genuinely wouldn’t even know where to start.

Laura Foreman, Fundraising Manager at Macmillan, explained how the partnership with Baxters will help:

This partnership will have a huge impact on the lives of those in need, helping us to provide vital support and services across the country. We want to send a huge heartfelt thank you to Baxters’ staff and customers for their enthusiasm, commitment and support.

Audrey Baxter, Executive Chairman at Baxters said:

Macmillan Cancer Support is a charity we are passionate about supporting in our anniversary year as cancer has touched so many of our lives. Many of our staff have already got involved with the fundraising, and now every customer can show their support too.

For information about Macmillan Cancer Support, or just someone to talk to, call 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk

Photo: Macmillan Cancer Support