Maggie's Centre

Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres offer support for all people affected by cancer at any stage, be they patients, family members or friends. The work of Maggie’s Centres – which is based around the three closely interwoven areas of relaxation and stress reduction; emotional support; and information – is in complete support of conventional medical treatment. The first Maggie's Centre was opened in 1996 at the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. Maggie's Centres were the vision of Maggie Keswick Jencks when she herself was treated for cancer. She recognised the difficulties of accessing information and ongoing support which help people to cope when faced with a diagnosis of cancer.

The first Maggie’s Centre in England, designed by RRP, will be at Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, West London. The hospital sees over 6,000 new cancer patients every year and has a cancer population of over 10,000 people. Charing Cross Hospital has patients from the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hounslow and Hillingdon. Maggie’s Centre London is conceived to contrast with the main hospital building. The aim is for it to be a ‘non-institutional’ building, an open house of 370 square metres, arranged over one and a half floors. The kitchen is the heart of the structure. The intention is to create something that is more than a house - more welcoming, more comfortable, more thought-provoking and more uplifting.