A cancer charity from Enniskillen that provides vital support services and counselling to those people diagnosed with the disease has received £1,000 through Power NI’s Brighter Communities initiative.
Established back in 2018, Supported We Live Life (SWELL) helps cancer sufferers from diagnosis right through to end-of-life care for those who are in the last months or years of their life.
Completely volunteer led, the organisation’s built its support around recognising and addressing feelings of loneliness, helplessness and anxiety which are synonymous with a cancer diagnosis.
SWELL have 500 clients who avail of their services, which include counselling, complementary therapies, family and peer support, resilience workshops, home therapy service for terminally ill clients, and support for those who have been bereaved through cancer.
The Brighter Communities funding has been earmarked to help with the refurbishment of the charity’s reception space so that it is welcoming and comfortable, and helps clients to feel relaxed, have fun, and meet new friends.
Genevieve Irvine – a chair member of the charity – says the funding will make a huge difference. “We want to be able to extend our support services to as many people as possible, so we are delighted and very grateful to receive this funding from Power NI,” said Genevieve. “It will enable us to refurbish our reception area to incorporate a more relaxed space for our clients to drop in, have a cuppa, make friends and have a chat.”
Power NI created the Brighter Communities programme in 2018, and it has now donated over £50,000 to groups and projects across Northern Ireland. The scheme was created to assist innovative and emerging community groups, charities, teams, and projects striving to serve their local communities.
Ashleigh O’Neill from Power NI added: “The services that the SWELL volunteers provide to people across the community affected by cancer is amazing – and Power NI is proud to help fund the refurbishments for the clients' drop-in area. We hope that this donation will allow more people to be surrounded by support during their cancer journey.”
Learn more about the services SWELL provide here.
Find out more on how Power NI is energising local communities.
