PRESS RELEASE - Dorset charity receives £20,000 from Walk the Walk for its “closer to home” lymphoedema clinic

Dorset charity receives £20,000 from Walk the Walk for its “closer to home” lymphoedema clinic

Walk The Walk has supported Lewis-Manning Hospice Care in the development of its vital Lymphoedema clinic for cancer patients, two thirds of whom have or are recovering from breast cancer. After the overwhelming success of the charity’s mobile clinical unit, which launched in 2020, Walk the Walk has enabled the charity to establish a more permanent home for the service after gifting £20,000 of funding towards this service.

New premises were found at AECC University College, Boscombe in Bournemouth. AECC is a specialist health sciences university, delivering high quality education, research, clinical and consultancy services radiology and imaging sciences. The college runs an extensive outpatient department and has excellent facilities to accommodate the new Lymphoedema Clinic.

Running two days a week, from two rooms at AECC, the hospice offers two Lymphoedema Clinics simultaneously and seeing up to 12 patients in a day for initial assessment, reviews and therapy sessions.

Lewis-Manning Hospice Care’s CEO Clare Gallie said, “We are very grateful for the kind generosity of Walk the Walk for funding our new ‘closer to home’ lymphoedema clinics at AECC in Dorset. It was a privilege for me to attend and speak at The Moonwalk London this year, chat to their amazing supporters and to have the opportunity to continue our work together. Treatment and support for breast cancer patients is vital, Walk the Walk play a key part in this across the UK and their support in Dorset means a great deal to Lewis-Manning Hospice Care.”

Senior Lymphoedema Nurse Specialist Linda Sjollema said, “Our Lymphoedema nurses love the new location, we’re so thrilled and very grateful to Walk the Walk for enabling this to happen. It’s spacious and welcoming and provides modern facilities which are convenient and ideal for delivering care to our patients.”
Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk said, “We are delighted to once again support Lewis-Manning. This grant will allow the charity to continue to provide vital hospice care to patients at their Lymphoedema Clinic at AECC University College. It has been very satisfying to watch this wonderful charity’s role in providing support “Closer to Home” for cancer patients in Dorset, it is absolutely crucial – lymphoedema can be one of the most painful side effects of cancer treatment. Grants like these are very exciting news for Walk the Walk’s amazing fundraisers and we are delighted to help to make a difference where we can, and where it is needed most.”

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For more information, for images and interviews, contact:

• Lisa Tyrrell at Walk the Walk  01483 741430 or 07554 337566 [email protected]
• Jen Broh at Walk the Walk  01483 741430 or 07974 107999 [email protected]

About Lewis-Manning Hospice Care

Lewis-Manning Hospice Care is in its 30th anniversary year, providing extraordinary care to patients and their loved ones facing a life-limiting illness across Poole, Purbeck and East Dorset. We offer a range of free hospice care services aimed at helping people to live well through their illness, closer to home. These include:

- Day hospices, virtual and in person
- Creative arts & wellbeing support
- Lymphoedema clinic
- Breathlessness clinic
- Bereavement & family support
- Complementary therapy
- Hospice at home

Every year we support nearly 600 local people and we develop new services, based on patient need and identified gaps in the area. To do this we need to raise over £2.3m every year. Without these funds we could not exist. Our important work increases people’s physical and social well-being, reduces isolation and loneliness, supports people to stay in their homes longer, and alleviates the huge pressures on family and carers.

lewis-manning.org.uk
Registered charity no. 1120193