Statement from CEO, Andrew Hufford: Penny Brohn UK Emergency Appeal

Only with your help and the help of supporters like you, can we secure the future of Penny Brohn UK.

Penny Brohn UK Emergency Appeal. Five words I hoped I would not have to write to you. But the future of Penny Brohn UK is under pressure. There is no escaping the reality that the next 24 months will be challenging.

We’re facing an unprecedented financial situation. We ended 2022 with a deficit of just over half a million pounds and we had to reduce spend on core services to just half of what it was at £400,000. A decision that will impact the lives of those living with cancer across the whole of the UK.

Although we are not alone in facing this decline in income, Penny Brohn UK is being hit especially hard. Partly because certain sources of funding that we have previously relied upon that have been particularly vulnerable since the Covid-19 pandemic and now we face the challenges of the current economic climate combined with the fact that we receive no government funding for our services.

Thank you for your commitment and support in the past. But Penny Brohn UK needs your help right now. We need to raise £1.1 million this year to help cover the shortfall and continue our services for people with cancer. Could you donate today? Any amount you can give will help us keep our services running and be there for thousands of people living with cancer who need our support.

Every day, I am inspired by the commitment and kindness of supporters like you. But I am also deeply moved by the courage of the thousands of individuals we support every year. In my job, I have the privilege of meeting and hearing about some of those whose lives have been changed by our support. People like Becky, Glenn and Samantha.

“I was diagnosed with cancer at just 25 years old. I was incredibly lucky that the NHS cured my cancer, but then I was left alone. I started to struggle emotionally. I didn’t know where to go or who to speak to. I joined the Penny Brohn UK Introduction to Cancer session and that’s when I realised, I wasn’t alone. There were people out there who knew what I was feeling. They helped me realise that even though my treatment had stopped, it didn’t mean the impact that cancer had on my life had stopped.” – Becky, 25.

You can read more of Becky’s story on our website here.

“I loved the Penny Brohn UK relaxation and reflexology sessions. I used to genuinely look forward to them. Sam, who led my relaxation, was like a non-official counsellor, and the tips she gave me, I still use now because they really do help. Without those sessions, I do think it would have felt like a conveyor belt of just turning up, having my radiotherapy, and then going back home. It would have felt a bit like I was doing it by myself, in a way. Having the Penny Brohn UK elements made a bad experience nicer really.” – Glenn

“I remember joining my first online zoom session with Penny Brohn UK during my treatment. The GP said, by being in this group, even if we didn’t do anything, the fact that we were taking some control by attending, was empowering. Something about that shifted my attitude and mindset, from feeling like a cancer victim to feeling I can do things to make me feel better, to live well.” – Samantha

Their determination to share their story and help others makes me so proud to be part of Penny Brohn UK. Their experiences are just three of the thousands of people we support, thanks to you, every year.

By giving a gift today, you are playing a fundamental part in helping to ensure we can be there for others,
now and long into the future.

Looking to the future

If I have learnt one thing in my eight years working for this incredible charity, it’s that so much more becomes possible when you have good people around you.

Because of people like you, we’ve seen growth that has allowed us to reach thousands more people living with cancer in recent years. Thanks to you, we’ve taken steps forward to deliver a unique hybrid service, blending the best of online and the best of in-person services. This has allowed people with cancer to experience support in their own time and in their own way. We truly could not have made it this far without people like you.

But our time is not up, and our work is not done yet.

We know our approach to living well will cancer works, but it is not available to everyone. By donating today you’ll be joining me and hundreds of others across the country striving to help those live well with cancer now and for generations to come.

We do not want to be in a position where we have to turn away people who need us. With my team at Penny Brohn UK, we have created a plan that aims to restore in-person support creating a truly hybrid model but also to help to secure a steady stream of income over the next 24 months. Your support is crucial to this.

Your gift could mean that everyone can get the support they need to feel more in control of their health and wellbeing. It could be that they can get access to expert, specialist one-on-one support. It could mean that they can connect with others going through something similar. Or it could mean that we can make greater steps to restoring in-person support to create a truly hybrid delivery model.

I know that times are difficult right now. But any gift you can give today can transform a life. At times like this, we need our community of supporters more than ever. So, from the whole team at Penny Brohn UK, thank you.

Simply put, we cannot do this without you.

With sincere thanks