Page 49 - CTPA-Annual-Report-2019-book

CTPA Annual Report 2019
Look Good Feel Better for Men
After researching and trialling support for men, the charity is working
exceptionally hard to keep up
with demand. Emotional and
physical support for male
cancer patients is far less
extensive than that offered
to women and young adults,
and men have been proven to be
less likely to ask for help or join group sessions.
LGFB’s Skin Fitness Workshops have turned out to
be a very successful way of bringing men of all ages together and the chat, discussions, sharing of advice and questions have to be experienced to be fully understood. LGFB receives heartfelt quotes from sessions across the UK:
“I’m a 6’ 2’’ guy who has never discussed moisturising, let alone used any products, but I agreed to go to the Look Good Feel Better session for men. There were other guys who were in the same position as me and the afternoon turned into a fun and informative session. Once we had all relaxed (helped by the great team) there was a lot of banter, ‘odd’ humour and some very helpful tips. I never realised I had been shaving all wrong for
40+ years! Afterwards, we all agreed that it was great to have a couple of hours not thinking about our cancer and being treated as a ‘normal’ person. Have not laughed this much in a long time!” Maidstone, Kent
The sessions cover cancer specific advice such as looking after your skin, shaving techniques, cleansing and moisturising, hygiene information and the importance of suncare during treatment. The charity has also produced a ‘Manual for Men’ which includes subjects requested by male cancer patients that are not covered by other organisations – fitness and nutrition, oral care and body image. Over 12,000 of these Manuals were sent out in 2019 with more accessed online through the LGFB UK website.
An important
update in 2020
In order to provide this level of
support across all three services,
Look Good Feel Better needs to raise
over £1.3m a year and, like most companies and charities, the organisation’s plans
and income have been decimated by the COVID-19 health crisis.
Despite this devastating worldwide situation thousands of people a week are still being diagnosed with cancer in the UK. In March 2020, the charity had to furlough the majority of its staff in order to survive financially but the remaining team has fought back and launched Virtual Workshops in order to still
be able to provide support to cancer patients. Groups of eight people are invited to join an interactive online workshop which enables them to both chat to each other and their host LGFB expert.
Feedback has been extremely positive with people who were feeling frightened and even more isolated than ever being able to gain support, comfort, learning and laughter from our Industry’s charity.
“It was good to communicate with women in similar situations. The lessons were useful in reminding us how to apply make-up and how to stay hygienic. It was good to know that there are organisations such as Look Good
Feel Better which are still functioning and which are caring for ladies with cancer – they cheered us all up.”
“Friendly, informative and a very positive experience. A great way to spend a couple
of hours pampering yourself in the ‘company’ of people who understand what you’re
going through.”
For ways your company might be able to support Look Good Feel Better through fundraising initiatives, professional advice and support, product donations, communications expertise or any other offer, please contact CEO, Sarahjane Robertson: [email protected]
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