The future of a much in demand free massage service for cancer patients and their carers has been guaranteed for another year by Rosemere Cancer Foundation, which has agreed to foot half its total bill at a cost of £19,219.

With the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) agreeing to pay the other half, it means that both aromatherapy and SLD (Simple Lymphatic Drainage) massage can continue to be provided at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Furness and Westmorland General Hospitals until the end of March 2023.

Massage at all locations is undertaken by professional therapists from CancerCare, who more recently have extended their help to those affected by bereavement. The service was suspended in April 2020 because of the Covid pandemic. It returned last May (2021) and since then, just short of 400 people have benefitted from it.

Dan Hill, chief officer of Rosemere Cancer Foundation, said: “We are delighted to once again be supporting massage therapy across Lancaster and the Morecambe Bay area. We know what a massive demand there is for it from cancer patients, who are the first priority, those close to them, who share a lot of their stress, and those who have lost loved ones to the disease. It was much missed during the pandemic.

“There is a huge wealth of documented research highlighting the many benefits of complementary touch therapies, including aromatherapy and SLD massage, in people undergoing cancer treatment, looking after someone in treatment or coping with loss. Such therapies are now considered integral to what is becoming a more holistic approach to cancer as a cancer as a whole.”