Laura Lee, Chief Executive of Maggie's, welcomed The Duchess and said: “I am deeply honoured to announce that Her Royal Highness is the new President of Maggie’s and welcome her to our London Centre today. Having The Duchess join Maggie’s as our President is a remarkable moment in a truly landmark year for us. In 2008 we moved from being a well-known Scottish charity to a UK wide organisation. The stunning Maggie’s London, designed by Richard Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, is the first of six centres we are building across England and Wales by 2012.

"Expanding beyond Scotland is very exciting for Maggie’s, but also provides a great challenge of raising awareness about the unique services we provide. As Maggie’s President The Duchess will make a vital difference to people affected by cancer, helping to raise awareness about Maggie’s so that as we open new centres across the UK people know they are there and use them.”

HRH’s visit to Maggie’s London today marks a record breaking first six months for the centre. Within weeks of opening the doors the centre was already receiving a similar number of visits a day as the most established centres.

Bernie Byrne, the Centre Head for Maggie’s London said: “After all of the hard work to get the centre finished and spread the news that this service would be available, it has been really rewarding to have so many people coming in from the very first day. It is a privilege to be able to help people find the information they need to make decisions and to provide emotional support so they know that they are not alone. And it is a wonderful affirmation of our work to have The Duchess of Cornwall as our first President, her support will make a huge difference in spreading the word about Maggie’s.”

Maggie’s London has just been awarded the prestigious architecture award at The Building Better Healthcare Awards - 'Judge’s Special Award for Best Primary Health Care Design.'

Her Royal Highness was shown around the centre today by Ivan Harbour the Project Director of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. He said: “It was wonderful to show The Duchess around this building. It is a unique response to a unique brief on a complex, bustling city street. It is an open house, protected from its immediate environment, a welcoming, inspirational refuge for its visitors. Maggie’s Centre London has been designed as a homely, welcoming, comfortable and uplifting space where cancer patients – together with their families and friends – will find a conducive environment in which they can meet and share information and advice. We are glad that the building is already making a strong contribution to the local area and hope that it becomes a highly visible sign of the care which Charing Cross Hospital offers to its patients.”

Her Royal Highness was shown around the garden, which is a key part of Maggie’s London, by it’s designer Dan Pearson. He said: “It was a privilege to be able to show the Duchess of Cornwall the landscaping and gardens that are such an intrinsic part of the healing experience of the London Maggie’s Centre. Since the centre opened in April I have been delighted and moved by the enthusiasm of the volunteers who are helping to maintain the gardens. The investment that they are making is proof positive of the therapeutic and grounding role that these centres provide.”

During her visit today Her Royal Highness met people with cancer and also people caring for someone with cancer, demonstrating the way that Maggie’s recognises that friends and family are strongly affected too.

The Duchess decided to become involved with Maggie’s after a visit in June to the first Maggie’s centre, which opened in 1996 in Edinburgh. Aware that a new Maggie’s Centre is to be built near the Highgrove estate, Her Royal Highness wanted to see first hand the care that will soon be available to her local community in the Cotswolds.

Laura Lee, Chief Executive of Maggie's, said: “Her Royal Highness made such a positive impression on everyone when she came to Edinburgh in June, and it is wonderful to know that we made an impression as well, inspiring her to join us in our work.”

The Cotswolds Maggie’s will be the next centre to break ground. It will be at Cheltenham General Hospital and will serve the three Counties of Gloucestershire, South Worcestershire and Herefordshire and parts of Powys. Sir Richard MacCormac, CBE, has designed the conversion and extension of the Pool Keeper’s Lodge to be another unique and uplifting building.

Each Centre is situated beside an NHS Cancer Hospital and has been designed to be as noninstitutional as possible, with light, space and warmth. People don’t need to make a time or appointment to visit a Maggie’s Centre they can just walk through the door. There are no payments to be made and no forms to be filled in. All the centres are run by professional, specialist staff who are always at hand to talk about any aspect of cancer. A Maggie’s Centre gives people choices. They can join a support group, take part in weekly sessions like relaxation and stress management or learn about nutrition and health. Or they can simply come in and sit at our kitchen table, have a cup of tea and a biscuit and start to breathe again.

ENDS

For further information please contact Anna Marriott on 07825-362-097 or at anna.marriott@maggiescentres.org.

Notes to the editor:
•    Over 1 in 3 people develop cancer in their lifetime and medical advances mean that more people are living longer with a cancer diagnosis.  Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres aim to equip people with the tools to build a life beyond cancer
•    Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres has six existing centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Highlands, Fife, and London.
•    There will be further Maggie’s Centres:
1.    Maggie’s Cotswolds (Cheltenham – Cheltenham General Hospital) – Sir Richard MacCormac of MacCormac Jamieson Prichard
2.    Maggie’s Oxford (Churchill Hospital)– Chris Wilkinson and Jim Eyre of Wilkinson Eyre
3.    Maggie’s North East (Newcastle – Freeman Hospital) – Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera Polo of Foreign Office Architects
4.    Maggie’s Nottingham (City Hospital)– Piers Gough of CZWG Architects
5.    Maggie’s South West Wales (Swansea – Singleton hospital) – the late Kisho Kurokawa of Kisho Kurokawa Architects

•    Maggie’s Centres provide a varied programme of support, including one-to-one or group sessions with a psychologist, a library of information, cancer support specialists on hand to discuss concerns, art therapy sessions, relaxation sessions, tai chi, or simply a homely environment to sit and have a cup of tea and chat to fellow centre users.
•    Maggie’s Centres work closely with the oncology units at the NHS hospitals where they are based, to ensure that the information and support provided complements the treatment given in the hospital. Maggie’s has developed its network of Centres throughout the UK upon the request of NHS Trusts and Health Boards.
•    Maggie Keswick Jencks studied architecture at the Architecture Association, where she met her husband Charles Jencks. Their creative partnership further heightened their individual appreciation and profound belief in the impact of an inspirational environment, which would help to compliment the support offered in the Maggie’s Centres. Charles Jencks founded the organisation 12 years ago with his late partner, Maggie and her oncology team which included Laura Lee, Maggie’s cancer nurse and Maggie’s Centres’ CEO for the last ten years
•    Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith, is part of the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.