CancerCare’s Trustee board is made up of people with extensive professional experience and skills gained from numerous walks of life. What is common to them all, though, is their passion for CancerCare and the positive impact our therapies and support have on people’s lives. We believe it is essential to have a Service User Trustee in our team, to gain a true understanding of the impact of our services and how we can continue to provide high quality support.
CancerCare’s new Service User Trustee, Gwyn Chesters first encountered support from CancerCare whilst she was having treatment in hospital for breast cancer in 2018. We were able to support her during and after treatment which she described as invaluable.
“I was able to relax, recover and work through the anxiety and anger I was feeling following my diagnosis. I always said I wanted to give back to CancerCare when I was better as a way to say thank you for the fantastic support my family and I had received,” said Gwyn.
Gwyn’s volunteering journey at CancerCare started in August 2021 when she started helping on reception both at Lancaster and Morecambe which was a brilliant way for her to make up for lost time as a result of COVID.
“A lot of our clients have anxiety around using our services so being able to relate to them really helped and it makes me feel good knowing I’m putting people at ease before their session,” added Gwyn.
“I’m privileged to have benefited from a number of therapies at CancerCare, from Aromatherapy in hospital with Lorraine Grisedale before treatment, to Alexander Technique with Elaine to help my body recover after a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. During the pandemic I found it difficult being clinically vulnerable and not able to work, so I was able to access counselling with Susannah Cogger to work through what I was feeling,” said Gwyn.
Having clients that are passionate about CancerCare really puts it into perspective how beneficial our services really are. We are proud to have Gwyn on our board of Trustees and are excited to see what the new few years hold.
“As Service User Trustee I want to help the charity to continue providing help and support for many more people for many more years. In this role I can hopefully help a little way to ensure this happens, whilst giving the service users a voice for the future of CancerCare," said Gwyn.
Gwyn is a very outdoorsy person and is often walking or outdoor swimming in the Lake District. She has a passion for travelling, in particular to the Polar Regions of Svalbard and Antarctica with her husband Graeme. In the chillier months, Gwyn is a keen crafter who sews drain bags and cushions for mastectomy surgery patients which are available at our centres for clients to make use of.