Located alongside NHS hospitals across the UK, Maggie’s provides a ‘home away from home’ – a place of refuge where people dealing with cancer can find emotional and practical support. Inspired by the blueprint for a new type of care set out by Maggie Keswick Jencks, they place great value upon the power of architecture to lift the spirits and help in the process of therapy.
In 2016, Foster + Partners completed a new Maggie’s centre in Manchester, located just a short walk from The Christie Hospital and its leading oncology unit. The centre complements the existing cancer treatment facilities at the hospital by offering a place where patients and their families can be supported and informed throughout their treatment – from diagnosis to recovery.
Over the past seven years, Maggie’s Manchester has provided people living with cancer from the local community with information and advice on a wide range of issues including financial challenges, the side effects of treatment and returning to work, helping visitors take back control of their lives. A therapeutic space for healing, it provides free access to the kind of practical, emotional and social support that might not otherwise be available.
Foster + Partners recently revisited the centre to speak to some of the staff and visitors who use the centre to understand the role it has come to play in their lives. While we always look for feedback from our buildings' users, this visit was markedly different. Hearing the stories of the people who are so intimately familiar with the building – some of whom even see it as a second home – reinforced our belief in the power of design and its ability to make a positive contribution to everyday lives.
