The Macmillan Cancer Trust has big plans for the future. Their specialist unit, based at the Christchurch Hospital in Dorset, is funded by the NHS and the Macmillan Cancer Trust, and provides palliative care for patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. It has 20 beds and a daycare centre with 15 places, and also provides palliative care for people in their own homes.

However, with increased demand for their services, a major rebuilding programme is planned, with work scheduled to begin in 2012, says Neal Williams, the trust secretary

“We entered the Bank of Scotland’s £6m Social Entrepreneur Awards because we want to completely rebuild our palliative care centre and winning a donation from the Social Awards would be a great help,” he says. “We have an aging population issue, and statistics show that there will be ongoing needs for palliative care and more chronic illness. We’re building for the future.”

The Trust is the custodian of all monies donated to support Macmillan at Christchurch Hospital, and all funds are spent locally, at the unit. The Trust was attracted to Bank of Scotland, says Williams, because of the position it had in the marketplace and the kudos of the brand, but, more importantly, the bank offered the Trust competitive interest rates and financial security.

Suzy Chung, a Relationship Manager for the not-for-profit sector at the bank, has the responsibility for managing the relationship with Macmillan, offering them specialised advice and support on a one to one basis.

“Suzy has a detailed knowledge of the sector and is aware of the specific challenges and issues that face Macmillan,” says Alastair Davis, an Associate Director of the not-for- profit team at the Bank of Scotland.

“The bank has specialised in the charity market for seven years and Macmillan is one of the most well known names in the not-for profit sector. We are pleased to have a relationship with such a high profile organisation,” he adds.

Williams also sees the value of the relationship and plans to talk to Chung in the coming weeks to discuss how the trust can best look after its assets.

“It’s a pretty crucial time, because interest rates are low at the moment. We’re in a good position as a trust, as we didn’t fall foul of investments,” he says. “However, it’s important for us that our money is safe and that we don’t take any risks with it, so we’ll be talking to the Bank of Scotland about where to place it to get the best returns.”

Williams also believes that the support the trust has received from the bank has enabled it to maximize the return on its investments while maintaining a low risk position.

“In terms of us getting the best return for our money, we got exactly what we were told we would get. That helps us as an organisation. It’s not in our interests to take high risks with our money because we’re a charity, but we still want to swell our coffers.”

As Bank of Scotland build on their relationship with Macmillan, Davis envisages his team providing the trust with more services and proactive support - the Bank of Scotland £6m Social Entrepreneur Awards being a case in point.

“The Trust was encouraged to enter the Social Awards by their Relationship Manager (Suzy Chung), and they are hoping to win a donation of up to £500,000 to kick-start their rebuilding programme,” he says.

“For the future, we would look to be growing our relationship with the Trust, and offering a broader range of products and services. We see the relationship growing – our ultimate aim is to be Macmillan’s main banking partners.”

www.macmillancancertrust.co.uk

www.bossocialawards.co.uk