12 August 2020

We are absolutely delighted to announce that we have been successful in an application to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund on behalf of HM Government.

During the Covid-19 crisis, we have been busy adapting all our services to offer a wide range of online and telephone-based support. Our West Midlands Hub Co-ordinator Laura has also been speaking to the local community to find out how we could better support those affected by ovarian cancer, both during and after the pandemic. After much research and after listening to what you have told us, we have identified areas where additional support is most needed in the West Midlands.

The funding will allow us to focus on providing the following:

1. We will expand our West Midlands Regional Support Hub into the five surrounding counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire to offer accessible, personalised support to many more people affected by ovarian cancer. We will help to set up new support groups in these areas and work with cancer centres and organisations to ensure that all those living with ovarian cancer are given the best possible quality of care and support.

2. We will support the local ovarian cancer community in the West Midlands by working to fill the gaps created by COVID-19. This includes communicating important health messaging around diagnosis, treatment and ovarian cancer care, especially to those who shielding or isolated during this time. We will work to build a stronger community in the area for those affected by the disease and find new ways to support our members, even from a distance.

3. We will raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer in the first language of six different local BAMER community groups, using printed and filmed resources to reduce barriers to accessing support.

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If you are based in or around the West Midlands and would like to talk about support in your area (including setting up a local support group) please get in touch with Laura, our West Midlands Hub Co-ordinator, on 07586 899334 or at [email protected]

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"We are so grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for granting us funding to provide more support during the COVID-19 pandemic.  People with signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may have found it more difficult to access medical services during lockdown, so we want to encourage them to see their GPs about any concerns.  People affected by ovarian cancer may have felt even more isolated during shielding, so we are here to help.  The funding will also enable us to produce resources in six different community languages to reach everyone affected by ovarian cancer, and we are also expanding our support hub to include the five counties that surround the West Midlands: Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.  We want to make sure that no one faces ovarian cancer alone during this crisis."

- Laura Nott, Ovacome West Midlands Hub Co-ordinator