Oldham cancer charity is encouraging people to 'bake a difference'

Local cancer charity Maggie's Oldham is encouraging people to 'bake a difference' in November to support people with cancer.

With this year's Great British Bake Off series well underway on Channel 4, what better time to grab your mixing bowl, line your baking tray and start your own challenge to raise some money for a fantastic cause? 

There are plenty of ways you can do this; from hosting a virtual afternoon tea, raffling off some tasty treats, to playing guess the weight of the cake or even a drive by cake sale! It’s completely free to sign up, and the fundraising pack contains a whole assortment of goodies including ideas and tools to get you started.

Participants can even join the ‘Bake a Difference’ Facebook group and share their own cake creations with the Maggie’s community. The group currently has 1,400 members and is growing every day. To join, simply head to facebook.com/groups/bakeadifference

Trish Morgan (pictured), Centre Head at Maggie’s Oldham, said: "We want people to get creative! It’s not possible at the moment to host social events so we wanted participants to be able to connect with other people and fundraise at the same time. There’s a real buzz around the Facebook group so we are really looking forward to November." 

The start date is officially Friday 6 November but events and fundraising can be done at any time during the month. If you are interested, Maggie’s Oldham say they would love to hear from you.

People can ‘Bake a Difference’ and get a free fundraising pack at maggies.org/kitchentableday

Alternatively, you can call 0161 989 0553 or email oldhamfundraising@maggiescentres.org to speak to the Oldham fundraising team.

Maggie’s Oldham follows the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks. Maggie lived with advanced cancer for two years and was determined that she should not “lose the joy of living in the fear of dying”.

In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie believed people needed information, stress-reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed and beautiful setting. All Maggie’s centres are individually designed by leading architects to feel like a home and our expert team provide support by helping people deal with the stress that comes from a cancer diagnosis.

New visitors to Maggie’s Oldham can relax with a cup of tea, perhaps join in the conversation with other visitors and meet a member of Maggie’s professional staff. For all centre visitors, Maggie’s is a place where they can talk to people who really understand what it means to be living with cancer.

Built in the grounds of The Royal Oldham Hospital, Maggie’s Oldham has qualified professionals on hand to offer an evidence-based core programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing. The centre relies on voluntary donations to develop its unique, high quality programme of support.

The charity's aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.

To find out more about your local Maggie’s and to see how the centre supports people living with cancer across Oldham and the surrounding areas, you can visit the centre at The Sir Norman Stoller Building, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Road, OL1 2JH or call 0161 989 0550.