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Local charity awarded donation by Union of Catholic Mothers

Sunflowers cancer support centre in Aigburth, has been awarded with a £450 cheque from the St Gregory’s Union of Catholic Mothers (UCM).

Following an attic sale at her home, Molly Pagen, a member of the UCM decided that she would donate her earnings to charity. Unsold items were donated to the St Gregory’s parish priest, Fr John Smith, who continued the sale over the weekend after morning and evening mass in the church meeting room.

Over £900 was raised in total, and it was decided that the sum would be split between the Alzheimer’s Society and a local cancer charity, as this was something very close to their hearts. A member of the UCM visited the Sunflowers centre to enquire about cancer charities in the area.

She met with project director Joan Elmer, who explained more about how Sunflowers directly support people who have been diagnosed with cancer through a programme of artistic and holistic therapies. The UCM quickly decided the Sunflowers centre was a very worthwhile cause and presented them with a cheque for half of the money raised.

The money will go towards projects within the charity to make a crucial difference to the work that the charity does.

Joan Elmer said: “Our base here on Aigburth Road has provided a safe haven for cancer sufferers and their loved ones for over 20 years. In order for us to continue providing our support to the people in Liverpool who desperately need our services, we need generous donations such as this from the UCM to keep us going.”

Molly Pagen said: “Without the help of the UCM, none of this would have been possible. A lot of time and effort went into the success of the sale but it was worth all of the hard work in the end. I am very grateful to the team at UCM and I am pleased the funding is going to such a worthwhile cause.”

Sunflowers charity was set up in 1983 by two women who had recently been bereaved. They realised there was no support following the death of their husbands and decided to form a cancer support group. The group had a number of venues in the early stages, all based in and around the Woolton area.

Sunflowers moved to its current home in 1993 in order to more effectively support cancer sufferers and their families in Merseyside, which sadly has one of the highest rates for cancer in the UK.

For more information about the work of Liverpool Sunflowers, please visit www.liverpoolsunflowers.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .