Cash boost will fund new service to support cancer sufferers

MARIE CURIE cancer support in Argyll and Bute has been awarded a grant of £ 320,188.

The funding will pay for a new service to provide befriending support to individuals coping with a terminal illness. Volunteers will be recruited and trained to provide support to individuals and their families or carers.

The service will offer oneto- one befriending, information and advice on palliative care to ensure terminally-ill people are able to remain at home for as long as they wish.

Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara welcomed the news, saying: ‘ While we hope we are never in this situation, the value of the work of Marie Curie and similar organisations cannot be understated.

‘What this award from the Big Lottery Fund’s Investing in Communities scheme confirms is that we as a society still care; that there are individuals and groups who can, and do, offer their time, their ear and their compassion for nothing other than to know they’ve helped.

‘So this grant is immensely welcome but it’s also an opportunity for us to recognise and reflect on the work of voluntary organisations who seek nothing in return other than the opportunity to support and care within our communities.’