Maggie's Yorkshire - Maggie's Centres

Maggie's Yorkshire

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, Maggie's Yorkshire (previously Leeds) can help.

“As a cancer surgeon who often has to break bad news to patients or introduce to them to their cancer diagnosis it is absolutely invaluable to be able to point them towards our Maggie's centre. It provides a psychological safety net to catch them at their most distressed and confused, and introduces them to a whole extra support resource that a busy surgical environment cannot always provide”
Mr. Richard Baker, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon, and Clinical Director of Abdominal Medicine and Surgery Unit The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

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 opposite the Bexley Wing next to the multi-story car park.

Welcome to Maggie's Yorkshire

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

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Stories from our centres

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Lisa's story – from visitor to fundraiser

After Maggie's helped me, I wanted others to benefit.
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Barbara-Jane's story – my lasting legacy

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Colton's story – Maggie's helped us through our darkest days

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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.

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People with cancer more worried about cost of living than diagnosis

The OnePoll* survey, polled 500 people currently living with cancer.

  • 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’

  • 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. 


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. 

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.

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Tour De Maggie's – Maggie's Yorkshire to Kalida Barcelona

The team will travel from Leeds to Hull, where they will board the ferry to Rotterdam. From here, the group will travel across Holland, Belgium, France and end their journey in Spain.

The idea of ‘Tour De Maggie’s’ was formed when Helen, Maggie’s Yorkshire Ambassador, and Chris, former Maggie’s Property Director, were introduced by their mutual friend, Harriet Dow. Harriet played a huge role in bringing Maggie’s to Yorkshire.

Helen Butters, lead organiser and Maggie’s Yorkshire Ambassador, said:

A few years ago, I rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic as part of team Yorkshire Rows to raise money for charities including Maggie's Yorkshire. 

At the opening of Maggie's Yorkshire in 2019, I met Chris. Chris was introduced to me by Harriet Dow, a fellow Maggie's Ambassador who died from cancer. Chris, an experienced cyclist, and me who wasn’t (I didn't even own a bike) agreed it would be a good idea to cycle from Maggie's Yorkshire to Maggie's Barcelona, 1,000 miles. Like all great plans, this was decided in less than 5 minutes of meeting, and if Harriet had not of introduced us this idea would never have happened.

Due to the pandemic, the trip has been delayed but we are excited to finally be setting off on our trip. Thank you to all who have donated.

Many of the team are taking on this challenge to celebrate and remember the lives of their family and friends who have lived with cancer.

The courageous team are being kindly supported by Platinum sponsor, Zen-Auto, who are supplying the cyclists with electric support vehicles, making this challenge as eco-friendly as possible.

The money raised from this epic adventure will go towards supporting Maggie’s Yorkshire; enabling us to support more people with cancer, their friends and family.

Good luck to everyone taking part, and a huge thank you those who have already supported the Tour De Maggie’s team.

Follow their journey and show your support.

Get Involved

All the cancer support we offer is completely free and you can help make sure it stays that way. We’re here to help you fundraise every step of the way. 

Get involved and fundraise for us.

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Getting here

Maggie's Yorkshire

St James’s University Hospital, Alma Street, Leeds LS9 7BE

Getting here by:

Leeds Train Station is the closest station to Maggie's which is a 40-minute walk away.

There are also regular buses a short walk from Leeds Train Station that stop on Beckett Street outside St James's Hospital

Buses travel frequently from Leeds to Beckett Street outside St James’s University Hospital. This includes stops outside Bexley Wing, just around the corner from Maggie's. 

The following buses travel to and from St James's Hospital, with many following routes to Leeds city centre: 1616A42495050A

There is on-street pay parking nearby.

Designed for you...

Our beautiful building has been designed by Heatherwick Studios as a series of gardens that capture the therapeutic effect of plants.
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