The giant billboards springing up across the Province feature some of the people at the heart of ‘Friends’, amongst them a rather larger than life Ballygowan man – Ryan Hubbard who is supporting Friends following his experiences as a patient at The Cancer Centre.
Ryan said, “This year in Northern Ireland around 8,700 people will be told they have cancer. As I know only too well, getting that diagnosis from your doctor is tough. You need all the support you can get from friends and family as you start what can be a long and often difficult progress through treatment.
[caption id="attachment_20489" align="alignleft" width="267" caption="Ryan Hubbard from Ballygowan backing the Friends of the Cancer Centre. "]
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“At the Cancer Centre I have seen at first hand impact of made by friends of another sort: the Friends of the Cancer Centre. The charity always seems ready to extend a helping hand, funding projects, services and research which fall outside the Health Service budget. As a young cancer patient, I’m particularly glad to see that it has taken on several key projects concerned with adolescent and young patients, recognising the particular problems facing that age group.
“Given the economic climate of the moment, the work of Friends may become still more important in the years ahead which will inevitably mean that still more funding will be needed. This is a great opportunity for all of us to show support for cancer patients and their families in a practical way, either by making a donation or volunteering.“
Colleen Shaw, Director of Friends of the Cancer Centre said, “I hope that, as a local charity, we always show our appreciation to the public for their support but, at the conclusion of our 25th anniversary year, we felt the time was right for a special vote of thanks. Our Province-wide billboard campaign, so generously supported by PML Poster Management, says a giant ‘thanks’ to everyone who has given support over our first quarter century, whether as an active volunteer or by giving a donation …. but it doesn’t end there. If we are to keep up the good work we need continued help.
“In its first 25 years Friends has firmly established itself as one of the Province’s leading cancer charities, generating donations from individuals and groups in every corner of Northern Ireland. It has worked with quiet determination to ensure that the support it funds for cancer patients and their families is genuinely meaningful.
“We are proud of what, together, we have all achieved so far and we are looking forward to being able to offer still more support to cancer patients and their families in the future. But, as our poster says, ‘We can’t do it without you’ so this is also a call to action and renewed effort!”]]>
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