Walk the Walk’s Emergency Grant to Cancer Support Scotland has made a huge difference to people with cancer and their families

We are thrilled to share with you the incredible difference made by Walk the Walk’s £20,000 emergency grant to the charity Cancer Support Scotland! We were able to give this vital grant at the end of last year, thanks to our amazing supporters taking on virtual walking challenges during the pandemic.

Cancer Support Scotland is a wonderful charity based in Glasgow, which has been supporting the wellbeing of those affected by cancer across Scotland for over 40 years. Since the pandemic started, the charity has been a lifeline to so many vulnerable people affected by cancer and their families.

Over a period of three months, Walk the Walk’s £20,000 grant funded the following, helping hundreds of people through the most difficult of times:-

• 592 support sessions, including 300 one-to-one counselling appointments and 292 “Here for You” wellbeing calls
• Cancer Support Scotland’s Lead Therapist was able to provide support to 6 volunteer Wellbeing Assistants, who delivered a further 186 wellbeing calls

The grant helped reduce Cancer Support Scotland’s waiting listing for counselling to its target of 2 weeks, ensuring that timely access to support was available when people need it most.

‘K’ is one of the people who received counselling thanks to Walk the Walk’s grant:
“Counselling helped me feel as if there was someone to discuss my thoughts and feelings with who is impartial, when I'm not ready to speak to friends or family. I found the tools and techniques helpful. [They] helped me get a bit of perspective on the worries I had [and were] an immediate diffusion for my anxiety, and I liked that I could do it anywhere. I do not know what I would done [without this service] as I was struggling. It would have festered, and I would have been in a worse situation. I think it's a safe place for people not to be ashamed or embarrassed about their feelings. [The counsellors] are experts and nobody is better placed to help. Do not be afraid to get their support. You will learn techniques to better equip yourself and give you the best chance of moving forward, I can use these techniques to support myself and other people. There is life after cancer”.

Emma Connor, Fundraising Manager for Cancer Support Scotland said:“Thanks to Walk the Walk, more people now feel less anxious, stressed, fearful, lonely and isolated, more people feel better able to cope with feelings of anger and uncertainty, and more people have been supported come to terms with living with their grief. Those struggling to adjust to life after cancer treatment have been given the support they need to thrive, and those who spent final months with loved ones under strict restrictions have been given the space and support they need to need to begin looking forward. 

Whilst ‘Here for You’ was a new service developed in response to the pandemic, it has served such a valuable purpose that we intend to retain it as part of our support offering in the longer-term and we are currently reviewing what this may look like in the future”.

All support and fundraising really makes a difference during these very difficult times... especially to frontline cancer charities like Cancer Support Scotland. Sign up now for a Virtual challenge or make a donation at www.walkthewalk.org