Maggie's Merseyside celebrates Maggie's Kitchen Table Day

CANCER charity Maggie's Merseyside is encouraging friends, families and colleagues to gather around their kitchen table and fundraise on 29 March. Hundreds of Kitchen Table Days will be held nationwide, all raising money for people with cancer. Every Maggie's Centre follows the ideas about cancer care originally laid out by Maggie Keswick Jencks. Maggie lived with advanced cancer for 2 years and was determined that she and others should not:- "lose the joy of living in the fear of dying."

In order to live more positively with cancer, Maggie believed people needed information, stress reducing strategies, psychological support and the opportunity to meet other people in similar circumstances in a relaxed and beautiful setting. All Maggie's Centres are individually designed by leading architects to feel like a home and all have a big kitchen table at their heart. New visitors to Maggie's Merseyside often head 1st for the kitchen table. Here they can relax with a cup of tea, perhaps join in the conversation and meet a member of Maggie's professional staff. For all Centre visitors, Maggie's kitchen table is a place where they can talk to people who really understand what it means to be living with cancer.

Centre Visitor Anna Jackson said:- "I was delighted to take part in Maggie's Kitchen Table Day in 2018 and raise vital funds for the incredibly important work that Maggie's Merseyside does supporting people living with cancer locally. 'I have been involved with Maggie's since July 2017 when my partner was diagnosed with Cancer and had treatment at Clatterbridge. Maggie's was amazing and the staff and volunteers were there for us right through her treatment and ever since. I am the Head Coach at Cheshire Phoenix Wheelchair Basketball Club and they were so supportive to me and my partner and they wanted to do something to raise funds for Maggie's, so we held a Kitchen Table Day with a twist. Our Glow in the Dark Wheelchair Basketball Game combined with a cake sale and raffle at our club venue; Ellesmere Port Sports Village raised ₤350. We had a great time doing it, our players and supporters, centre staff and visitors were so generous and are looking forward to doing something again this year. Maggie's Kitchen Table Day is an opportunity to get together with the people you care about to celebrate, talk and have fun whilst also making a difference."

Kathy Wright, Centre Head at Maggie's Merseyside said:- "I can't wait to see the wonderful events that people in Merseyside and Cheshire come up with to help make Maggie's Kitchen Table Day 2019 a success. Maggie's Merseyside relies entirely on voluntary donations to allow us to keep on developing our unique programme of free support for all those living with cancer in the area."

Gather together around your kitchen table, on Friday, 29 March 2019, to raise money for people with cancer. Register now for your free pack Online now.  Share photos of your event on social media using the hashtag:- '#kitchentableday.'

Built in the grounds of Clatterbridge Hospital Maggie's Merseyside is a warm and welcoming place, with qualified professionals on hand to offer an evidence-based core programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

To find out more about Maggie's Merseyside and to see how the Centre supports people living with cancer across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales please visit the Centre at Clatterbridge or get in touch on:- 01513344301

For further information about Maggie's Merseyside please go to:- MaggiesCentres.Org/Our-Centres/Maggies-Merseyside.

Liverpool scores unique Rugby League World Cup hat trick

LIVERPOOL to host all 3 formats of England's history making Rugby League World Cup in 2021. World Cup venue:- England's James Simpson and Official Ambassador for RLWC 2021 outside Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena; venue of tournament's Wheelchair Final

The tournament's organisers have announced this morning that Liverpool will be the only City to stage a series of showpiece games across all 3 formats of the competition; men, women and wheelchair; at 2 iconic venues. Liverpool FC's world-famous Anfield stadium will host both a men's quarter final and the opening match and ceremony for the women's tournament, while the M&S Bank Arena on the banks of the River Mersey will host the final of the wheelchair competition.

The next edition of the Rugby League World Cup is the 1st major sporting tournament to simultaneously host a female, male and wheelchair competition.

The news means Liverpool will be hosting 3 major international sporting championships in the next 3 years, including the Netball World Cup this summer and the 2022 World Artistic Gymnastic Championships.  The 2021 Rugby League World Cup will be hosted between October and November. It will feature 16 nations in the men's format and 8 in both the women's and wheelchair formats.

Councillor Wendy Simon, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool and Cabinet member for Culture and Events, said:- "Liverpool is a fantastic fit for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 and we are delighted and honoured be the only City to host all 3 formats at this historic tournament. With illustrious partners and venues such as Anfield Stadium and our arena, we'll be going all out to offer the organisers, teams and fans a truly exciting and unforgettable experience."

Jon Dutton, Chief Executive of RLWC2021, said:- "As the only City to host a match across the men's, women's and wheelchair events, Liverpool is going to be a key destination during the Rugby League World Cup. We're delighted to be bringing some of the competition's biggest moments to a City with such a rich sporting history. With the women's and wheelchair competitions taking on added importance in 2021, it's great to see Liverpool also playing host to both the women's opening ceremony and the Rugby League World Cup wheelchair final. We know that the local community will give bring an incredible atmosphere to all matches including the iconic Anfield stadium hosting the marquee quarter final men's game."

Peter Moore, Chief Executive Officer, Liverpool Football Club, said:- "Liverpool Football Club is delighted to play its part in hosting the Rugby League World Cup 2021. Anfield Stadium is renowned for its award winning welcome and we very much look forward to extending that welcome to fans of both the men's and women's rugby league games in 2021."

Ben Williams, commercial director of The ACC Liverpool Group, which includes M&S Bank Arena, said:- "It is an honour to be selected as 1 of the host venues for the Rugby League World Cup in 2021 adding to the growing portfolio of major sporting events taking place in the City, including the Netball World Cup later this year and the World Artistic Gymnastic Championships in 2022. We look forward to hosting the wheelchair final at the M&S Bank Arena."