The joy of giving: our supporters
Paul Thompson
"For those of us that can, I believe that it is important to help others who are not in such a fortunate position."
"Following a cancer diagnosis in 2011, I had 7.5 weeks of radiotherapy as part of my treatment. During that time the hospital had a cake sale for Macmillan with plenty of information about the charity. From that my involvement began.
"Subsequently, the fundraising team contacted me to see if my sister and I would support the Macmillan Horizon Centre Appeal. My donations have continued annually since then. Sadly my sister died in 2017 but left a legacy to Macmillan.
"For those of us that can, I believe that it is important to help others who are not in such a fortunate position. A very good way to help cancer patients is to support Macmillan. I will continue to do so while I can, and have made provisions in my will for when I die."
The Thompson Family Charitable Trust
The Richard Oatley Foundation
By providing funding to Macmillan, we continue Richard's approach to life - to help people in whatever way they need.
The Richard Oatley Foundation supports causes that make a difference to people living in Somerset and Wiltshire. It was founded by Richard Oatley, who was affected by cancer a number of times during his life and wanted to support charities tackling cancer.
The Foundation funds charities that focus on these three key areas in cancer:
- research
- treatment
- patient support.
Kevin Butcher from the Richard Oatley Foundation said: "The first two are perhaps the most obvious areas to support, but the third may not be on people's radar unless they have experienced cancer support first hand or for a family member.
"The Foundation is largely inspired by the work that Macmillan in helping people to live as fully as they can."
One area of Macmillan's work that the Richard Oatley Foundation support is our Macmillan Nurses. Kevin said: "They are the front line and it is difficult to think of Macmillan without them. Being able to fund nursing positions, in the knowledge they will be sustained long term by the NHS, is central to our strategy."
Another area that the foundation supports is our Macmillan Grants. Kevin said: "By being able to fund grants for people in our local area, the Foundation is able to support and invest at the most fundamental grass roots level. The grants are vital to individuals and their families during periods of extreme challenge."
