My dear CADS,
I hope this finds you well and enjoying early Autumn – the change in the weather seemed quite sudden this year! Although I cannot complain about Amsterdam weather – on a recent trip to Manchester for the football, I ‘enjoyed’ 100mm of rain in one afternoon!
September Dinner
On Thursday 18th September we were back at the IGC after the summer break, to hear a very informative talk by Geraint Davies about Maggie’s cancer centres. He started by surprising us with some figures about the incidence of cancer in the Netherlands, which is the worst in Europe after Norway and Iceland. 130,000 people were diagnosed with cancer in the Netherlands last year. The reasons for this are not clear as most research goes into treatment rather than causes.
He then told us something of the history of the centres. These were set up in the UK after the founder, Maggie Jenks, was left in a hospital corridor to process the news that her cancer had returned. She and her husband decided that there was a need for somewhere ‘better’ for people with cancer to go, outside of but nearby, the hospital, and somewhere their families and friends could also receive support. Maggie and her husband worked on plans for a centre at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. One of her final acts before she died was to sign off on the blueprints for the centre, which opened the following year. In her own words “Above all, what matters is not to lose the joy of living in the fear of dying.”
Maggie’s centres provide practical support to patients, family, friends and colleagues. An important element of this is providing information so that patients have a better understanding of what is happening through information provided in a non-clinical setting. People close to a patient can also receive help including on how ¬– and how not ¬– to approach and help the patient and others. This all contributes to better physical and mental outcomes as shown by surveys at centres in the UK: 99% of visitors rate Maggie’s help and support as good or excellent, 96% say they feel less alone, 94% better understand cancer and for 91% of visitors, Maggie’s has helped them to cope better with stress.
The Groningen Centre opened last year after an oncologist at the University Medical Centre had spent 15 years working to get the project off the ground. All Maggie’s centres are bespoke sites and the architects and garden designers provide their services for free. Both the buildings and gardens are designed with communal and private areas for social and contemplative activities. There are paid staff offering support but volunteers are vital, helping out in the centres and gardens and running support groups and fundraising events.
A centre costs €700,000 a year to run, even with active volunteer work, and they receive no support from the government or healthcare insurers. I am giving quite a lot of detail about the talk as the CADS Board decided to contribute €750 to both the Cardiff centre (Geraint’s local centre) and the Groningen centre. If any CADS members would like to make their own contributions there are details at https://www.steunmaggiesgroningen.nl/donate (Maggie’s is an ANBI and so contributions may be tax deductible). You can also buy a Christmas tree light for €5 https://www.steunmaggiesgroningen.nl/project/laatmaggiesgroningenstralen. If anyone would like to volunteer or take part in an event they would be very welcome (https://www.maggiescenters.nl/steun-ons/).
AGM Agenda items
In October, we will be holding our Annual General Meeting at the KIGC. The draft agenda and supporting AGM materials were sent in the same email package as this newsletter. If you have any additional agenda items please send them directly via email to the Chair as soon as possible, and definitely by October 1.
Please note that the AGM whilst legally required, is not usually a very long affair so do not let that put off attending our October event. Once the formal business is over we can enjoy our usual CADS style lunch.
Website re-design update
The new website is nearly ready to launch and as part of this process we have been reveiwing the existing photos we have. We got feedback that they are a bit ‘twilight!”. So please look through your archive and If you have any high-quality images that reflect the spirit of our community (no matter how old), please send them my way!
📸 Photo Consent Reminder
Some of these photos may appear on publicly accessible pages of the CADS website. If you’d prefer not to appear in any images, just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll assume you’re happy for us to include your smiling face
We’re always looking for excellent speakers—particularly for 2026 and beyond—so if you know someone compelling (or would like to speak yourself!), let me know. We don’t pay external speakers, but we do thank them with a nice lunch and a bottle of something lovely.
Calendar of events
To help with planning ahead, here’s our confirmed event calendar for the rest of 2025. Please note a few dates are slightly off the usual 3rd Friday due to venue availability.
Final Note
Thanks for all your ongoing support and enthusiasm. It’s what makes CADS such a special community.
Our next event is the AGM plus lunch on Friday October 10 in Amsterdam.
