(Image: Live Well With Cancer)
A cancer support charity has secured a "genuinely life-changing" £15,000 to build an accessible extension to their premises.
The funding will enable Live Well With Cancer, based in North Shields, to create the new accessible therapy room in the back garden of its Nile Street centre, thanks to a public vote in Certas Energy’s Community Bloom Fund.
The planned room will offer much-needed one-to-one support, counselling, and complementary therapies for people unable to access the charity’s current upstairs facilities.
Maureen Elliott, who founded the charity in 2019 after a 30-year career as a clinical nurse specialist, said: "We still can't quite believe we've won.
"To have our community get behind us in such an incredible way so we have access to this £15,000 of funding is absolutely overwhelming.
"We're incredibly grateful to Certas Energy for giving us this opportunity."
The new therapy room is expected to help the charity reach around 10 per cent more people.
Ms Elliott said the funding will be "genuinely life-changing" for service users.
She said: "It means we can finally transform our back garden into a beautiful, accessible therapy space.
"This isn't simply about creating a room, it's about removing barriers and making sure everyone in our community feels they have a place where they belong."
Existing garden (Image: Live Well With Cancer)
The charity recorded 4,326 attendances at its support groups and creative and movement sessions between January and August.
The new garden room will offer a calm, quiet retreat away from the busy centre, taking up about half of the existing outdoor space and featuring seating, planting boxes, and decorative lights.
Niki Holt, marketing director at Certas Energy, said: "The community they have created here is extraordinary and a testament to the exceptional care the team gives.
"We're delighted to congratulate Maureen and everyone at the charity, and we can't wait to see the new space come to life."
Votes came in from America, Australia and New Zealand, with supporters in those countries backing the charity.
Ms Elliott said the award was particularly special because it was driven by community support.
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She said: "People voted, shared our posts, encouraged their friends and family to get behind us, and now that support is going to turn into a physical space that will benefit our community for years to come."
The charity hopes to open the new therapy room early next year, pending planning permission.
It also plans to host a grand opening event to thank supporters and welcome service users to the completed space.