Following a successful £100,000 fundraising appeal, the Isle of Wight’s new Support Centre opened on March 3rd. Around 80 volunteers, staff, supporters and clients attended the celebration, with Level 42 star and Islander Mark King performing the ribbon cutting.
The Building for the Future appeal was launched in March 2018 in a bid to refurbish and extend the Island’s dilapidated facilities.
Among the highlights of the appeal was the Inflatable Rainbow Run, which raised more than £40,000, the Island’s first Christmas drive-in cinema and the appeal concluded with a 12-hour cycle-a-thon at Isle of Wight Radio, when listeners donated more than £6,000 on air. The building works, carried out by Island Ceilings and Developments, began in May 2019 and included the creation of a large activity and meeting room, two therapy rooms and a counselling room, as well as a welcoming befriending area.
Community Engagement Manager Lorraine White said:
“It has been such a brilliant journey and we were so proud to be able to share the success of our Building for the Future appeal with everyone at the opening ceremony. The Island community really got behind us to help make our vision a reality and we now have a fantastic new centre with excellent facilities which will help us in our mission to support Islanders affected by cancer for many years to come.”