Published on 15 November 2024
A cancer survivor and member of the Cancer Alliance board will travel to Buckingham Palace to be given a King's Award for Voluntary Services for the charity she leads.
Ann Coffey, from Crosby, will pick up the award on behalf of the Sunshine group for women with breast cancer.
A former head teacher, Ann, who is also a finalist in the BBC’s Make A Difference Awards, was diagnosed with the disease in 2010.
She has been leading the Sunshine Group since 2013, when it had only six members – it has now grown to 500. Based in Aintree and the Royal Liverpool Hospitals, it organises regular get-togethers and activities, including homeopathic therapy and social events.
Ann said: "Our group addresses the social, emotional and psychological side of the disease – that is something which really needed to be developed."
Sunshine member Nicola Hooton, who has twice been diagnosed with breast cancer, said: “The group is not about doom and gloom. We don’t get down about our diagnosis. We try to encourage people to do activities and our group is about people allowing people to enjoy life as part of their diagnosis."
Jon Hayes, Managing Director of Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance, said: “We are delighted for Ann and the Sunshine group that they have been recognised in this way.
“Organisations such as Sunshine are vital in helping people with a cancer diagnosis, giving much needed practical, social and psychological support through treatment and beyond.”