Sheffield shoppers can pick up vital cancer support thanks to a multi-charity pop-up hub, which opens in the heart of the city next week.

The ground-breaking new service brings together a host of the city’s best loved good causes including Age UK Sheffield, Sheffield Clinical Commission Group (CCG), Cavendish Cancer Care and the Cancer Support Centre to provide much needed information to customers at The Moor Market.

The stall, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support from a bid from Sheffield CCG, has already won the praise of one of the market’s longest serving stallholders, who has felt first-hand the pain cancer can cause.

Grace Bolsover, aged 75, has run a fabrics business at the market for almost 30 years, but was diagnosed with cancer more than half a century ago.

Grace said: “Cancer can cause many sleepless nights. The Hub will help people get the facts, which is exactly what you need when you hear that diagnosis.

“I had cancer over 50 years ago. I was a young mum with four little ones, but didn’t dream I’d have cancer. It can happen to anyone, but the important thing is it needs to get picked up early.

“Things are different now and people are more open to talking about cancer. It’s no longer the taboo subject it was.  I wish the Hub had been around when I was diagnosed.” 

The Moor Market innovation was the brainchild of Macmillan Nurse Louise Metcalfe as she desperately searched for new ways of raising cancer awareness across the city.

Louise said: “Having the shop at the Moor Market is an ideal place for people to talk about cancer and find out about some of the fantastic services available across Sheffield.

“People can feel intimidated walking into a GP surgery or hospital setting and asking for help. Our shop is completely informal and we just want people to pop in for a chat with us while they’re picking up their shopping.

“A cancer diagnosis affects every aspect of life, but by bringing together lots of different charities we’ll have information on emotional, physical and financial support available for people.

City health bosses are backing the idea, with one in two people expected to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.

Maddy Ruff, Accountable Officer at NHS Sheffield CCG said: “We are delighted to be supporting the pop up cancer information hub. By having it in this busy area of the city centre we hope it will raise awareness of the services available to people affected by cancer amongst communities that would not typically access them but who face some of the worst experiences of cancer.”

Macmillan is working with many of the city’s cancer support charities to ensure that people diagnosed with cancer are as prepared as possible and know what to expect during and after treatment, as well as the local support available.

The Sheffield Cancer Information Hub is being formally opened on Monday 30 October. It will operate for 16 weeks at units 56 and 58 of The Moor Market from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.