Fermanagh Cancer Support Centre to benefit from £40,000 Wooden Spoon donation

Fermanagh families impacted by cancer are set to benefit from a £40,000 donation gifted to Cancer Focus NI by the Wooden Spoon – the children’s charity of rugby.

The Centre, which is located at 18 High Street Enniskillen opened on 28 May 2025 and has already welcomed over four hundred individuals and families through its doors. And thanks to the generous donation by the Wooden Spoon, more local families will benefit from the Family Support service delivered in the Western Trust with monies going towards activity at the Centre’s ‘Living Room’ – a dedicated safe space for individuals and families. From this room, with furniture and soft furnishings kindly funded by the children’s charity of rugby, Cancer Focus NI will deliver a range of services including individualised and tailored family care plans, opportunities for families to connect, memory work, and referral of parents and guardians into the charity’s additional wraparound support services such as counselling and support groups.

(L-R) Peter Wood (NI Chair of the Wooden Spoon), Claire Edwards (Cancer Focus NI Fermanagh Centre Manager), Keith Lamont (Wooden Spoon), May and Elissa Brown (Family Support Clients), Keith Crossan (Wooden Spoon Hon Vice President Ulster Region).

Speaking at the official unveiling of the plaque, Peter Wood, NI Chair of the Wooden Spoon said:

“The Ulster Region of the Wooden Spoon Charity are delighted to be funding the Living Room at the new Cancer Support Centre in Enniskillen. This is part of our continuing commitment to support Disabled and Disadvantaged children and Young people throughout Northern Ireland. The new Centre is a marvellous facility in Fermanagh, and we trust it will serve the local population for many years.”

Thanking the Wooden Spoon for their donation, Richard Spratt, Chief Executive at Cancer Focus NI commented:

“We are incredibly grateful for this donation that will go a long way to helping us support the many families who will use our Centre during their cancer journey. Every day, six people are diagnosed with cancer in the Western Trust and we know that this news affects the whole family. Having a safe and welcoming sanctuary for families to visit, speak about their worries, and receive the right support makes a massive difference to how people move forward to live their most fulfilled lives.”

Explaining the difference such services make to a family undergoing a cancer journey, May Browne explained:

“During my treatment, my daughter Elissa seemed okay on the surface. She never complained about missing out on activities. But over time, I could see she was struggling. She didn’t know how to express her feelings, and I didn’t always know how to help her. That’s when Cancer Focus NI came into our life. Their Family Support Team met her at school and spoke with her privately about how she was feeling. The change in my daughter was unbelievable. She’s like a different child now – more open, more relaxed, and better able to process my family’s breast cancer journey.”

To access the charity’s services in the Western Trust, visit the Cancer Focus NI Fermanagh Cancer Support Centre at 18 High Street, Enniskillen (Mon-Fri, 9.30am – 5pm), email enniskillencentre@cancerfocusni.org or call 028 9066 3281.