Hansard

I thank Jackie Baillie for bringing the debate to the chamber and the other members who have spoken for their compassionate, heartfelt contributions this evening.

As we have heard, the theme for world cancer day is “close the care gap”. It is about recognising and understanding the inequalities of cancer care that can cost lives around the world. We know that every one of us has the ability to make a difference, large or small, for the people and families who are affected by cancer. Only by working together can we reduce the global impact of cancer.

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting staff from Ayrshire Cancer Support, which is a charity in Ayrshire that works tirelessly to provide emotional support and practical help to cancer patients and their loved ones. It provides a number of free services, including hospital transport, which it provided for close to 14,000 people from Ayrshire in the year 2019-20, over 80 per cent of whom had to travel to the Beatson in Glasgow. It also offers counselling, carers groups and specialist information and support. I would like to express my gratitude and admiration for the truly outstanding work that it does.

However, the charity faces struggles, particularly involving applying for local and national funding. Previously, it was possible for charities such as Ayrshire Cancer Support to apply directly to the Scottish Government for funds. Under the new system, charities must apply through the local third sector interfaces that distribute funding. That results in the charity having to apply three separate times to eight different local authorities in Ayrshire, each with its own processes, timescales and criteria.

To add to that, Ayrshire Cancer Support does not meet the national and regional criteria to access the Scottish Government’s cancer recovery fund or pain management fund, as the charity is viewed as being too local an organisation. However, under the system for the local third sector, it fears that it is considered too large an organisation to receive funds at the local level.

If we are to have any hope of closing the cancer care gap, we have to make it easier for organisations such as Ayrshire Cancer Support to provide all the care that it does. We must help them and not hinder them. Without their work, health inequalities would rise, as patients would struggle to get to hospital for the treatment that they need. I ask the cabinet secretary to look into the funding discrepancy for charities such as Ayrshire Cancer Support.

Someone who knows how important that service is is Hayleigh Lawrie, who tragically lost her mum to cancer. Hayleigh will camp overnight at Ayr racecourse to raise funds for Ayrshire Cancer Support, which provided help with transport, mobility and counselling. I am sure that MSPs will join me in wishing Hayleigh the very best of luck with her big camp-out.

I also want to share the work my constituent Gaby Williamson, from Ayr. Gaby sadly lost her dad to oesophageal cancer in June 2020, when she was just 19 years old. Her mum, Victoria, is currently battling breast cancer. After the death of her father, Gaby found herself in a situation that would hit hard even the strongest of us, never mind a 19-year-old. Not knowing exactly how to deal with her emotions, Gaby started the blog “Let’s Blether” on Instagram, in which she could fully express her feelings and find support for other young people who found themselves in similar situations.

Realising the number of young people who struggled with grief, Gaby set up a fantastic initiative called the let’s blether box. The box contains a range of items, including practical advice and support strategies for children and parents, a journal, seeds for planting flowers in memory of a loved one, a memory jar and a lot of other things. With the backing of South Ayrshire Council, the let’s blether bereavement box has been distributed to young people in South Ayrshire who are experiencing grief or loss.

Gaby’s younger sister, Poppy, who is only 10, has started another initiative, called little blethers, to reach out to the younger community who are going through long-term grief. Gaby’s mum Victoria told me:

“We sadly live with cancer every day in our household and it comes in many different guises, whether it is physical, emotional, or financial and practical management. We also deal on the bereavement side of it on a daily basis—all of which Ayrshire Cancer Support has been a great help with, living with Cancer and the challenges it brings”.

I believe that one day we will see a world that is cancer free, but that will not happen without people, such as Gaby, Poppy and the volunteers at Ayrshire Cancer Support, who dedicate their time to go that extra mile in providing care and hope for all those who face the many struggles and hardships of cancer.

Although cancer is an awful disease, it is hard to deny that it can bring out the very best in people and draw us closer together as we fight to close the cancer care gap and see a cancer-free world.