Maggie's Wirral
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Maggie's Wirral (previously known as Merseyside) can help.
Cancer support
Get free one-to-one help and information from our professional team or join groups and activities that are right for you.
A calming space
Come in for a cup of tea, meet people who understand what you're going through or just take a moment to gather your thoughts.
Alongside the hospital
We're the white building next door to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
Welcome to Maggie's Wirral
Cancer support
Whatever kind of cancer, and whatever stage you’re at – we're here with you. Many of our staff are NHS-trained and all our Cancer Support Specialists have expert knowledge about cancer and treatment.
Our warm and welcoming centre is a place to unwind, a place to find information or switch off from it, a place to talk about cancer or forget about it – just come in.
Meet the team
What's on: Friday 29 September
Stories from our centres
Barbara-Jane's story – my lasting legacy
"The group is my toolbelt" – Earl on creating a kit to help manage living with cancer
Read story“You’re allowed to be authentic” – Eloise on why it’s important to be, and feel, yourself
Read storyGetting here
Maggie's Wirral
at the Steve Morgan Foundation Building, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Clatterbridge Road, Bebington, Wirral CH63 4JY
Getting here by:
News...
We want to hear from you...
Your views are important as they help us to improve our services and better support you and other people who needs us.
Please complete our short survey here.
Your information
The information you give us will be treated with confidence, and all answers will remain anonymous.
For more information about how we handle the information you provide, please visit our Privacy notice.
People with cancer more worried about cost of living than diagnosis
The OnePoll* survey, polled 500 people currently living with cancer.
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80% of people with cancer also said they are worried about the cost of travel to their hospital appointments with over a third (34%) saying they worry ‘very much’
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Over half (55%) of those surveyed also said they think they will struggle to pay for food this winter and two thirds (67%) think heating bills will be a problem.
At our centres, we are hearing about people with cancer struggling to go to appointments because of travel costs and/or asking if they can end treatment early so they can return to work because they can’t afford to be off any longer.
Cost of living overshadows living with cancer
Our Chief Executive Dame Laura Lee said: It is truly shocking that people living with cancer – which is possibly the hardest, most frightening experience of their lives – are now so worried about money that it is overshadowing the fact they are living with cancer.
Many even feel the current crisis will impact their chances of successful treatment.
The situation is clearly only going to get worse as the cost of fuel, food and heating continue to rise in the autumn. We know people with cancer are harder hit by the cost of living crisis. They need to use more heating, they are living on reduced incomes and paying to travel for treatment.
We also know people are returning to work too early and even missing appointments because they can’t survive on benefits. This too can have devastating consequences.
This is simply wrong. People with cancer need to be able to focus on treatment.
At our 24 UK centres we have experts to help if someone is worried about money as well as professional staff to help with eating well on a budget, stress management and much more. We are here for you.
Yamin's story
Yasmin, 57, from West London has secondary breast cancer and had to give up working for British Airways – a job she had been in for 20 years due to ill health.
She is struggling trying to live on benefits and says it’s an experience she has found humiliating. This has been greatly exacerbated by the recent cost of living crisis.
Yasmin said: Physically I am doing ok, the side effects of the drugs I need to take are not too bad, but mentally I have been affected.
Applying for benefits has been humiliating and it was not something I asked for. I never asked for cancer, I never asked to lose my job. Claiming benefits is such an intimidating process.
I live by myself. My nephew in Canada invited me to stay with him over Christmas in 2021 and paid for my flight. He and his wife wanted to look after me and make sure I would not be alone for Christmas.
It was a very happy time, however, when I came back my PIP claim was rejected by the DWP when they learnt that I had travelled to Canada. They said I could not be that bad because I had managed to get on a plane, and they wouldn’t give me anything. I couldn’t believe I had gone to Canada for support and this was being used against me. It was so humiliating.
Thankfully, Zoe, the benefits adviser at Maggie’s in West London helped me to appeal this decision. I just couldn’t have done it by myself, I was not in my right mind. We actually had to do this twice before I was awarded any money.
My income is now my PIP and Employment Support Allowance. I am learning to live differently after decades of having a good income. I have a flat in Uxbridge and I have been there for ten years.
When I lost my job, the council began paying my rent to my private landlord. Their rate is lower than what I used to pay (around £800 compared to £1,000). The landlord is not happy about that, so I am just hoping that he won’t kick me out.
I am living on essentials and never buy clothing. Things are definitely getting worse.
I go to the supermarket at around 6pm to buy the reduced bread, I’ll freeze half because I can’t afford to buy it fresh anymore.
If you could come and see how I live, I don’t think you would believe it. Little things make a really big difference.
Worried about money
Melanie Bunce, Benefits Advisor for Maggie’s Fife, said: I have been a Benefits Advisor for 25 years and this current situation is the worst I have ever seen.
The fact is that even very ordinary situations are now becoming impossible for people with cancer.
People who could have managed a year ago are now facing stark choices between eating, heating and travel to hospital appointments – and particularly badly hit are those in low income jobs.
The stories we are hearing in our centres have become so much more desperate in the last six months and it is only going to get worse.
How we can help
We're have expert staff in our centres available to help you.
- Find your nearest centre for free support and information, we can help you with things like emotional support, money worries and diet and nutrition.
- Call us on 0300 123 180
- Email us at enquiries@maggies.org
Our coverage
Please see some of the coverage generated on the back of our OnePoll survey looking at how worried people with cancer are about the cost of living crisis.
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The Times: public left in limbo by leadership battle as energy prices soar
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ITV: Dad had to work during chemo to keep the lights on for his children
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Metro: Energy cap families fear bill rises during cost of living crisis
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STV News: Cancer patients 'more worried about cost of living than diagnosis'
We also appeared on Sky News, LBC, STV’s 6 o’clock news and news bulletins running throughout the day on Classic FM, Heart, Capital, Smooth, Radio X and Gold.
*Research used must state as a reference
OnePoll surveyed 500 respondents from across the UK from 22 July 2022 - 1 August 2022. The survey was conducted online using panel members who are credited to participate in surveys. Respondents who are currently living with cancer were targeted using screening questions and profile data in order to ensure the correct demographic was achieved.
Maggie’s Wirral at the Steve Morgan Foundation Building
The brand new purpose-built centre, funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation, will replace our interim centre, Maggie’s Merseyside.
Our new centre is still within the grounds of the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral and just a short walk from the existing interim centre.
In 2014 we opened our interim centre in the hope we would support 3,000 visits a year.
In 2019 our interim centre supported more than 17,000 visits, and, despite the pandemic, the centre supported people 12,000 times in 2020.
Cancer support
Our new centre will provide more space, allowing our professional team to deliver more of Maggie’s core programme, courses and support groups. The library and private rooms will offer individual, centred one to one and family support space away from the openness of the centre, allowing us to open our doors to more people who are not ready for group support.
Our new centre will give us more space which means when possible our professional staff will be able to deliver more of our core programme, courses and support groups. It’s wonderful to have a permanent centre here on the Wirral and we’re excited to be able to start supporting more people with cancer in the surroundings of a truly uplifting and inspirational building.
Kathy Wright, Centre Head
Our new centre has been designed by Dennis Swain of HB Architects and built by the Steve Morgan Foundation.
This is a very proud moment for everyone involved in the project. It is one of our largest capital projects to date, but our involvement has gone far beyond funding. We’ve been responsible for the planning, design, project management as well as the entire funding, which is almost unheard of for a foundation.
My wife Sally first introduced the foundation to Maggie’s, and we have watched with pride as the building has come to life. It has been a real team effort by our team.
The sad reality it that cancer affects so many people’s lives and the work undertaken by the Maggie’s Centres has never been more needed. We know what a difference this will make to so many people.
Steve Morgan, CBE, chairman of the Steve Morgan Foundation
Cassie is living with secondary breast cancer and regularly uses the centre, she said: The experience of cancer has taken my future from me and my future with my family. My children need me to be a mum, so I don’t get to be a cancer patient apart from the days I attend appointments. My treatment days are very long, and this is when I spend most of my time at Maggie’s, it’s my safe haven. I’ve been visiting for over 4 years and I know I will always receive a warm welcome. It makes my treatment days bearable as I can take time out between appointments to pop in away from the clinical environment.
Maggie’s provides me with so much support, just knowing that there’s always someone to talk to, whether it's regarding bad scan results or to even talk about the positives. There's something about going into a hospital or doctors that psychologically has an effect on you, but I don’t feel like that at Maggie’s.
Maggie’s has been a godsend for me and the friendships I’ve made at Maggie’s, have really helped over the last few years. I know the days would be much tougher without a Maggie’s Centre here . A new centre with more space was definitely needed and now it’s a reality. It can now provide the support for my family and I in the future and for so many more people for a long time to come.
New name
As we move into our new centre we also change our name to Maggie’s Wirral as we believe this will best help people from the area to find us where we are situated in the grounds of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Wirral.
Whilst our name changes, our location and team remains the same and our doors are open to support people with cancer across Wirral, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.
Our interim centre will be replaced with a garden for all of the people who visit and work in our centre to enjoy.
Get in touch
For more information, please call us on 0151 334 4301.