Hanging up his CancerCare chisels!

This month we will say a fond farewell to our woodwork tutor Tom Webster after more than a decade overseeing the workbenches in our Kendal Centre workshop.

According to our number crunchers, over his time with us Tom has delivered well over 800 sessions woodwork and helped dozens of our clients lose themselves in the creativity, industry and often intricacy, involved in working with wood.

The Kendal workshop has seen the production of all manner of handcrafted items including coffee tables and rocking chairs, toys, garden furniture, jewellery boxes and bug hotels.

Tom is an experienced cabinet maker with his own workshop in Lancaster and he joined CancerCare as a woodwork tutor around 14 years ago.

Tom said: “I have really enjoyed my time at CancerCare and I will be sad to leave. The big thing for me has been getting to know the clients and seeing how strong they are and help each other cope with some really tough situations as part of a group.

“They enjoy working in the workshop together in a social setting with others who know what they are going through and what it is like. For people who are acting as carers, it’s easy to see how that break away from the situation at home is so important.”

Tom is leaving to concentrate on his own cabinet making so we are now looking for a new tutor to take over the tools at the Kendal Centre.

The ideal candidate would have a high level of woodworking skills, specifically in workshop environment, knowledge of safe working practices and, ideally, experience of working in a group or therapeutic setting.

Sessions take place at the Kendal Centre from 10am-3pm, usually on a Monday but this could potentially be negotiable. The post holder would work on a self-employed basis.

To express an interest email alison.dixey@cancercare.org.uk