Jennifer Meenan, Community Fundraiser for Maggie’s Glasgow was on hand to meet Pudsey Bear and actor and Children in Need supporter Billy Boyd for the important announcement.

The programme sees Maggie’s trained cancer support specialists working with children aged between 5 and 12 years old in our Maggie's Centres. These are children who have a significant family member with cancer, either a parent or grandparent, often starting treatment. 

This work is extremely important. A cancer diagnosis can have a profound effect on young children.  Parents can struggle to explain what cancer means to their child, and the child sensing something is wrong, can become anxious and distressed.  With active imaginations, children can imagine the worst. 

Common effects can include poor behaviour at school or home as the child acts out their emotions.  Alternatively the child may withdraw and struggle to talk with other children.  A child's attendance may fall as they become clingy with their parent, fearing they will die if they leave them.

Up to eight primary school aged children will be invited to a quarterly four hour session at a Maggie's Centre and in the adjacent Cancer Centre on a Saturday.  They will be supported by a Maggie's Cancer Support Specialist and Art Therapist with volunteer staff on hand from the Hospital.

The children are given the chance to learn 'hands on' about cancer and its treatment, and in a creative informal way share their stories about living in a family affected by cancer. They visit the radiotherapy suite, chemo ward, and operating theatre.  Children get to wear masks, hats and gloves and to view the surgical kit, and to lie on the bed their family member has "been asleep" on.  They share lunch in the Maggie's Centre and then have sessions with an art and play therapist.

In a parallel session parents have the chance to share experiences separately in a group facilitated by a Clinical Psychologist.  This benefits the child as their parents are helped to feel calmer and more able to talk with them about cancer.

We have seen an increasing number of families across our Centres asking for advice about talking to their children about their cancer.  An increasing number of people are being diagnosed with cancer at a younger age, with many having young children.

Maggie's Kids Information Days are the only project of its kind dedicated to children whose parents have a cancer diagnosis.  Through working in partnership with the main cancer treatment hospitals in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, we are aware of services provided to families affected by cancer. 

The KIDS project is delivered in partnership with the NHS hospital, who provide in kind support such as covering the cost of NHS staff demonstrating the equipment.