10/6/2009 - Workington library launches Macmillan cancer outreach service : Cumbria County Council

A new scheme which will help raise awareness about cancer and save lives is being launched at Workington library this Friday (June 12th).

The launch, which will be attended by Tony Cunningham MP, regional director of Macmillan Maureen Rutter, and local county councillor Barbara Cannon, takes place at 1.30pm.

The library outreach service will help provide information and support services in the libraries and will also feature drop-in sessions staffed by trained MacMillan information and support volunteers.

Workington is only the second library in the county to roll out the service and follows on from the successful launch in Penrith library two months ago. Eventually nine libraries in Cumbria will have the service.

The project has been steered by the Cancer Information Centre based at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cumbria County Council’s library service and the Macmillan cancer charity.

The project has been made possible thanks to a £60,000 grant from Macmillan and is based on a similar scheme run by the North East Cancer Network around Durham, which has similar demographics to Cumbria. There will be new dedicated shelving and leaflet holders, new books on cancer awareness and new signage for the libraries involved. The libraries holding the volunteer drop-in sessions will also invest in new seating areas for the sessions.

The following five libraries will have both cancer information resources plus the drop-in sessions at advertised times:

The following four libraries will solely have cancer information resources and will be able to signpost people to other cancer information points:

Anyone interested in becoming a Macmillan information and support vounteer can contact Carol Maughan on 01228 814283 or email carol.maughan@ncumbria-acute.nhs.uk

Media enquiries to Gareth Cosslett, News Manager on 01228 226332