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Cancer help 'like popping into a neighbour's house'

Alex PopeNorthamptonshire
News imageMaggie's Steven Phelps leaning over and smiling at the camera. He is wearing an olive green T-shirt and glasses and has short grey hair and a beard. There is an arch of orange and red balloons behind him. He appears to be in a back garden, with other buildings behind it.Maggie's
Steven Phelps has been helped by the charity since he was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer

A charity that was started a year ago to help people affected by cancer is "like popping into a neighbour's house", a supporter has said.

Sue Phelps' husband Steven has stage 3 bowel cancer and she added that being able to get help from Maggie's, in the grounds of Northampton General Hospital, felt "like I'd stepped into somewhere with people who understand".

Since it opened in October 2025, the charity said it had had more than 5,000 visits from many different people affected by the disease.

Wendy Lilly, its centre head, said the numbers "show just how much cancer support is needed here in Northampton".

As well as helping cancer patients, it supports their friends, family and carers, who account for about a third of all its visits.

It is free, open on weekdays from 09:00 to 17:00, and no appointment or referral is needed.

News imageMaggie's Wendy Lilly and Jodie Mutch, wearing high-vis jackets, and hardhats, in a room that is being constructed. There are pieces of machinery in the back of the room. They are both smiling and looking straight at the camera. Maggie's
Wendy Lilly and Jodie Mutch, from Maggie's, inside the centre just before it opened last year

It also offers advice on benefits and finance, one-to-one emotional and psychological support, group sessions, workshops, nutrition advice, exercise classes, and tips on how to manage stress and anxiety.

Lilly said the partnership with the hospital and NHS colleagues "means we can welcome more people into our calm space so they can access expert practical and emotional cancer support".

News imageMaggie's A building, with large glass windows, a wooden door and a large metal roof. There are two people outside, and chairs and tables to the left. Maggie's
Planning permission was granted in 2020 and work began on the building in 2024

Sue Phelps, whose husband was the first patient at Northampton General Hospital to undergo robotic surgery, said: "From the moment we walked through the door, we were welcomed — it's like popping into a neighbour's house.

"There are people there to talk to, but if you want quiet time to yourself, that's OK too."

She said it was "priceless" to be able to ask about her husband's treatment without upsetting him.

Liz Summers, lead cancer nurse at the hospital, said the stories she had heard from people the new centre had helped were "humbling and make you realise how vital Maggie's is to the provision of high-quality patient-centred care".

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