Predictions for population growth, better cancer survival rates and longer living overall mean that the incidence of cancer within our population is growing. Already 1 in 3 people will be affected by cancer at some stage in their lives - this could be nearer to 1 in 2 in the next 20-25 years. Many people facing cancer feel excluded – diagnosis makes the patient feel “different,” and once the initial medical treatment is over both patient and carer can feel isolated and alone. Bereavement exaggerates this situation. CancerCare offers professional support free of charge to anyone living in North Lancashire or South Cumbria who has been affected by cancer. The most important benefit of our work is in improving clients’ psychological and emotional health along their cancer journey. Encouraging them to express their feelings and emotions via creative activities such as art, jewellery-making, craft and woodwork and to share that experience with others on a similar journey is an important part of this. Our current arts and crafts space in Lancaster is inadequate - some is in an old prefabricated buiding and the rest is in multi-use rooms in our main building. We want to replace these varied and geographically dispersed facilities with a purpose-built and fully-accessible Arts and Crafts Centre, enabling us to offer a wider range of better-resourced creative therapies to more clients. We can then begin to renovate and extend our main building and improve the range and quality of other therapies and support that we can offer overall. This project represents the first phase of a major extension and refurbishment programme envisioned for our premises in Lancaster. It will cost £570,000 out of a total £1.2 million planned for Lancaster. We also have a £200,000 project to extend and improve our facilities in Kendal. This includes the creation of a dedicated Children and Young People's Unit there to provide a permanent base for our ongoing work with this vulnerable group in South Cumbria. We already have such a Unit in Lancaster and it has proven to be very successful.