Macmillan team celebrates volunteers as it takes prize for work with cancer patients

The work of volunteers has been celebrated through an award in recognition of the work they do to help cancer patients and their loved ones.

The Macmillan Centre Team and Volunteers collected the Volunteer of the Year title at this year’s Best of Wearside celebration held at the Stadium of Light.

The Sunderland team, led by Deborah Spraggon, and the Cancer Information Support Service, works to offer help, support and hope to vulnerable people, who often have a terminal condition.

Jessica Rainbow, Dorothy Rasmussen, Louise McMahon, Alethea Ferry and Isobel Jessop attended to accept the award.

The nomination for Deborah said: "They help families, do memory boxes for children who are going to lose their parents, help to arrange weddings for palliative patients on the ward and cheer up everyone in our chemotherapy department."

Louise, the assistant Macmillan support manager, said she was “proud of our amazing people” and praised all of the entries in category.

She added the team’s award success was down to “the hard work of every single one of our volunteers, we could not do what we do without them.

“The award was in recognition of the services we offer to patients including memory boxes for families, complementary therapies, counselling - the service as a whole and how the volunteers contribute so much to the success of the service.

“It's very much a team award and each and every volunteer contributes so much.”

The work of volunteers has been celebrated through an award in recognition of the work they do to help cancer patients and their loved ones.

The Macmillan Centre Team and Volunteers collected the Volunteer of the Year title at this year’s Best of Wearside celebration held at the Stadium of Light.

The Sunderland team, led by Deborah Spraggon, and the Cancer Information Support Service, works to offer help, support and hope to vulnerable people, who often have a terminal condition.

Jessica Rainbow, Dorothy Rasmussen, Louise McMahon, Alethea Ferry and Isobel Jessop attended to accept the award.

The nomination for Deborah said: "They help families, do memory boxes for children who are going to lose their parents, help to arrange weddings for palliative patients on the ward and cheer up everyone in our chemotherapy department."

Louise, the assistant Macmillan support manager, said she was “proud of our amazing people” and praised all of the entries in category.

She added the team’s award success was down to “the hard work of every single one of our volunteers, we could not do what we do without them.

“The award was in recognition of the services we offer to patients including memory boxes for families, complementary therapies, counselling - the service as a whole and how the volunteers contribute so much to the success of the service.

“It's very much a team award and each and every volunteer contributes so much.”