North Shields cancer charity shortlisted for £15,000 community grant

Live Well with Cancer, a North Shields charity supporting people affected by a cancer diagnosis, has been named one of four finalists for a £15,000 grant from Certas Energy's Community Bloom Fund.

The charity was founded in 2019 by Maureen Elliott, a former clinical nurse specialist with three decades of experience, and now runs support groups, creative and movement sessions and complementary therapies from its Live Well Hub on Nile Street. Hundreds of people affected by cancer visit each year.

What the grant would fund

If successful, the charity says it would use the money to renovate its premises: refurbishing the bathrooms, converting the back garden into an accessible area for one-to-one sessions, and installing a proper kitchenette upstairs to replace a makeshift setup without running water.

Best for: The Live Well Hub is at 38 Nile Street in North Shields town centre, a short walk from the Beacon Centre and the Metro.

A public vote

The finalists were put to a public vote, which closed at midnight on 8 September, with two £15,000 grants available across the shortlist. The outcome had not been announced when this was written, so the charity's place among the four finalists is where things stand for now.

Founder Maureen Elliott told Newcastle Magazine, which reported the shortlisting: "One in two of us will get a cancer diagnosis at some point in our lives, and we want to be there to support as many of those people as we can."

Whatever the result of the vote, the hub continues to run its regular programme of groups and sessions for anyone in North Shields and the wider area living with, or beyond, a cancer diagnosis.