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A charity gifting cancer care packages across Cambridgeshire has reached its 8,000th pack milestone – in its 10th anniversary year.

Touch of Sparkle donates packs filled with goodies to the breast units and oncology departments of Peterborough City Hospital, Hitchingbrooke Hospital and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

The charity was founded in 2015 by Melanie Hersey, and operates on an entirely voluntary basis.

“The idea behind the project is to provide a little comfort and kindness and try to lighten the load at a difficult time – essentially, to spread a ‘touch of sparkle’ to patients,” explains Melanie.

Founder Melanie Hersey pictured with the car packs, left, and with donations of children's toys and books, right.

placeholder image — Founder Melanie Hersey pictured with the car packs, left, and with donations of children's toys and books, right.

“Care packs are designed to be given out to male and female cancer patients at any stage of treatment - whether undergoing surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

“They are designed to provide little distractions and a much-needed snacks to patients recovering from surgery, or sitting through long hours of chemotherapy. They ensure a hospital visit runs more smoothly with a handy notebook, pen or earplugs – things people may forget to take with them.”

The packs contain various other items including puzzle books, playing cards, tissues, sweet treats, flower seeds, bed socks, shower gels and sleep sprays.

Melanie continued: "We cannot change the course of someone’s treatment but if we can make someone smile or forget for a few minutes, then the care packs have served their purpose.

Items inside a female pack left, and a male pack, right.

"Nurses have reported that the packs are particularly welcome during the current cost-of-living crisis as they provide some basic essentials and can also be a useful icebreaker tool or means of supporting a distressed patient."

One patient who received a pack, commented to the charity: “I just wanted to say how very much I appreciated your gifts delivered by the wonderful breast nurses at Addenbrooke’s Hospital to me whilst I waited for my breast surgery yesterday. Every gift was really either useful or wonderfully thoughtful and I really wanted to let you know how much the kindness behind the idea meant to me during one of my darkest days”.

Touch of Sparkle also donates reward toys to Addenbrooke’s Hospital which help to reduce anxiety in children attending the hospital for a test or procedure. Some 12,000 reward toys have been donated in the past decade.

• To support the work of Touch of Sparkle, visit their JustGiving page, check out their Amazon Wishlist, or follow them on Facebook.