Welcome to Maggie's North East

Maggie's North East forms part of the Joy of Living campaign, a fund to open five new cancer caring centres at major hospitals around the UK by raising £15 million. We are working towards raising £3 million to open Maggie’s North East.

In 2006 Maggie’s was approached by Cancer Bridge at Camillus House, a former private hospital and cancer care centre in the Tyne Valley, with the proposal that Maggie’s take on their work with the objective of developing a Maggie’s Centre for the North East of England. Maggie’s warmly welcomed this approach and we are now in the stages of our fundraising campaign to make the centre a reality. In 2012 we will start building our centre in the North East which will be located at The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

What will Maggie's do?
Maggie’s North East will be a place for anyone affected by cancer. It will be a place where people are welcome whenever they need us – from just being diagnosed, or undergoing treatment, to post-treatment, recurrence, end of life or in bereavement.

Maggie’s North East will include workshops on nutrition and relaxation, tai-chi, benefits advice, stress management and one-to-one psychotherapy

Anyone will be welcome to drop in for a cup of tea and a chat with one of our information and support specialists, to browse the library or access one of the courses designed to help people live with, through and beyond the disease.

We also welcome family and friends, as they are often deeply affected by cancer too. We know that those who love and look after someone with cancer can feel just as frightened, vulnerable and uncertain.

Help us bring a Maggie's Centre to the North East

For more information about supporting Maggie’s North East, please contact Katie Drummond katie.drummond@maggiescentres.org. For community fundraising enquiries contact Kerry Packman kerry.packman@maggiescentres.org.

The area

Maggie’s North East will lie within the North of England Cancer Network – covering a population of approximately 2.1million people. The region encompasses an area that runs from the east coast across to Cumbria and down to the River Tees.

Maggie’s North East will be located a short walk from the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) at Freeman Hospital, where people will receive treatment for their cancer. There are around 5,500 new diagnoses of cancer a year in this region.

The design and architect

A vibrant landscape will surround the sheltered centre, which itself will partly enclose a courtyard. There are two wings of accommodation - one houses counselling rooms and a large living room space, the other leads to the all-important kettle and kitchen table. A central library incorporates stairs up to a mezzanine level, covered by an angled roof covered in photovoltaic panels.

The mezzanine leads out onto the flat landscaped roof, screened by planting. A courtyard occupies the fourth quadrant, which visitors can see and walk out into from the kitchen and large meeting room.

The vibrantly planted embanked earth around the courtyard and building provides shelter and privacy, and a small pavilion creates an outdoor place for conversation or being alone in.

Allowing the building, roof and landscape to be fully accessible aims to provide the users with a sense of ownership and allows for exploration and discovery on a relatively small site. Maggie’s Centres are somewhat domestic in character, having many of the features of a biggish house, and it has been found that they attract more women than men. So as well as the housey things, Ted’s centre has further things that both sexes might enjoy like gardening, barbecuing, hedge clipping, and outdoor games and gym equipment.

"Maggie's Centres aim at a wonderful balance of the moral with the aesthetic. We are thrilled to be involved."
Ted Cullinan of Edward Cullinan Architects

The RIBA Royal Gold Medallist, Ted Cullinan of Edward Cullinan Architects, has designed a highly sustainable Maggie’s Centre, located in the grounds of Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.

How to get involved

We need your help to bring this much needed support to the North East. Our community fundraising team runs regular events that you can get involved in including running in the Great North Run, attending local events and fundraising in your place of work. For more information please contact Kerry Packman.