Friends of the Cancer Centre brought a little cheer to the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre last week to mark International Friendship Day. 

On Friday 28^th July, ahead of International Friendship Day on 30^th July, Friends of the Cancer Centre showed its thanks to staff and patients at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre for their friendship and support with free ice cream and treats.  Not only that, but staff and patients also enjoyed some musical entertainment, courtesy of ukulele band the Bangor Ukes.  International Friendship Day is marked around the world as an opportunity to celebrate the spirt of friendship and encourage us all to show our appreciation for those who are there for us when we need it most.

Ana Wilkinson, chief executive of Friends of the Cancer Centre, said:

“As a charity, we truly believe in the power of friendship and the incredible things that can be achieved when people support each other.  Every aspect of our work relies on the friendship and generosity of people across Northern Ireland, which allows us to fund additional staff, provide thoughtful comforts and invest in life-saving cancer research.

“International Friendship Day was our opportunity to say thank you and show our appreciation for those who support us. It was also our opportunity to say thank you to the incredible staff at the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre.  Every member of staff and every team plays a vital role in patient care and their hard work and dedication makes a real difference to so many people.

“Friendship Day at the Cancer Centre was a wonderful day and we couldn’t have done it without the generosity of our friends and partners.  On behalf of the charity, I would like to say a special thank you to Norman Adair from Riada for providing the ice cream; ice cream man John for giving his time and ice cream van on the day; Tesco Charity Champion Sharon Morrison and the team from Tesco Lisburn Road for donating treats for staff and patients on the wards and the Bangor Ukes for providing such fantastic music.”