Support group given £20,000 health lotto boost

A GROUP set up to support women with cancer has been given a £20,000 boost for a project aimed at empowering others.

Live Cancer Free in Leicester has received £20,801 from funds raised through the Health Lottery East Midlands and distributed by People’s Health Trust. The funding will be used for a 23-month project aimed at empowering Muslim, African and minority ethnic women living in Highfields and Spinney Hills.

The Stronger Together project was established to enable women to build their confidence and foster a sense of belonging to the community by providing them with the opportunity to mix with other women, make friends and take time out for themselves. The group offer a range of activities including baking and cake decorating, food preparation, swimming, exercise and crafting.

One of its members, Lilly Ahmed, said: “I was a stay at home mum when I joined and I lacked selfesteem.

“I felt the skills I had were limited but as soon as I joined the project last year, I was able to build myself back up, make friends and get the support I needed to believe in myself. After the project taught me how to bake, I started a home baking business and enrolled myself into college at the age of 45 to upskill further.”

Speaking about the funds raised through the Health Lottery, Dr Abeer Kholghi, founder of the Live Cancer

Free group, said: “Without the funding we wouldn’t have been able to start the project and the women of Leicester wouldn’t have had the space to receive the support they need. The funding helped us to acquire a suitable workspace and equipment we needed for our sessions, which are vital to keeping the project alive.”