The 1st – 7th of June 2021 marks Volunteers week here at Macmillan. This is a week dedicated to saying a huge thank you to all of our volunteers who dedicate their time to supporting people affected by cancer. Here on the Community team we wanted to dedicate today’s Community news blog to our very own group of fantastic volunteers, our ‘Community Champions!’
If you’re new to the site, you might not know what a Community Champion is, but you’ve more than likely spoken to one of our wonderful Champions, as part of their role is to help welcome new members to our Community cancer forum.
The easiest way to spot one of our Community Champions’ posts on the site is by their signature. Each of our Champions has a version of the below badge in their Community signature which will appear under their posts:
Here on the Community we have a team of 24 amazing Community Champions who volunteer their time to help support our members, as well as helping us here on the Community team to make sure the site is a safe and supportive space.
These Champions started out as Community members coming to the site for peer support. After finding the site to be a supportive space, our Champions wanted to give something back and continued using the site to support members of the Community.
Over the years our Champions have helped countless Community members, either by answering their questions, warmly welcoming them to the site, being a listening ear and generally being real Champions and advocates for our Community.
Below are just a few of the thank you’s our Champions have received since the start of this year:
“Thank you, you've been my rock. My histology couldn’t be better I was 1A and the cancer wasn’t even into the muscle, I'm on cloud 9 and glad to get off the roller coaster of emotions. This group is amazing along with all you wonderful ladies and sending you all a big thank you xx”
Janetmumof4, Womb (uterus) cancer forum
"Thank you very much for your kind words! The most amazing thing here is to get help and support from people that know exactly what you are going through, they are walking the same path and will know exactly how you feel.”
Carmilla81, Breast cancer for the under 50’s forum
“This has been a huge help thank you, it’s nice to be able to talk to someone about grief I tried counselling but didn’t do much at the time but all was still very raw I guess”Greens87, Bereaved family and friends forum
“Thank you so much for replying. You were a ray of light on a very dark night. I feel slightly more in control. Once again a big thank you x” Jude3, Cancer chat forum
“Thank you so much to you for your encouragement and kind words. I can’t express how much it means to me knowing that I can count on you. X” RosaN, Anal cancer forum
“Thank you for your positive words… I’m so happy that there’s people like yourself for support.” kikidotty, Family and friends forum
“This made me cry! It is so beautiful…you are indeed a hero to so many people. You just know the right words to say."New Member 2020, Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma forum
“I am happy I found it. (the Community) Especially your page, it has given me so much hope. Reading on other people who've talked about the side effects has helped me prepare. I've bought a lot of things they have suggested to help with the side effects. It has also helped me prepare mentally."Pure4642, (Bowel, colon and rectal) cancer forum
“I can't tell you how much your reply means. I see the answers people send to each other on here, and they are often so kind and supportive. Thank you so much for replying. "Greengirl, Lung cancer forum
Why not join our Community Champions team?
Do you feel you would like to support other members of the site and join our Team of Community Champions? The Community helps people affected by cancer – whether patient, family member, friend or carer, by bringing them together to share experiences, talk to others in a similar situation, or ask our friendly experts any questions they might have about cancer. We need volunteers that are friendly and welcoming, with a passion to help others. Our Champs are a listening ear for those who need it most, helping people affected by cancer feel supported and less alone.
How much time would I be expected to give as a Champion?
We ask for 2 to 8 hours a week. This can be in the evenings, around work or other responsibilities. Whether it's minutes or months, hours or days, the time you give really does matter.
This role is very flexible, and you can provide support from the comfort of your own home or whilst you’re on the go. You will go through a short training period and be supported throughout your role by the Community team and your fellow Community Champions.
If this opportunity sounds like something you would be interested in, or simply something you would like to find out a bit more about, why not let us know at community@macmillan.org.uk?
Here on the Community team we see every day the power of peer support, and our Champions are a huge driving force behind this, both on the site in our discussion forums and behind the scenes, our Champions are dedicated volunteers here to support you. We want to finish today by just saying a huge thank you to every single one of our Champs for everything they do.
