Plans for new Maggie’s Centre will soon start to take shape

A NEW Maggie’s Centre in the region must serve the whole of Dumfries and Galloway.

That is the strict message from the charity to NHS bosses locally.

And they have also stressed there will need to be outreach work for rural areas.

Another stipulation is that while Maggie’s is a cancer charity, the centre, which it’s expected will be in the grounds of Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, would also support non-cancer patients.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway medical director Ken Donaldson is the local lead for the project and he passed on the messaging to members of the health board at their last meeting.

He emphasised these were ‘critical conditions’ that had been agreed upon with the Maggie’s team as part of the discussions to secure a Dumfries site.

Dr Donaldson also revealed work will soon begin on architectural planning, site selection, and land transfer.

Once these elements are finalised, Maggie’s will begin fundraising, with an estimated £4–6 million needing to be raised.

However, it has been determined that the health board will not be required to contribute financially, which was one of the issues that had delayed the project in the last decade.

Despite the progress, the doctor also cautioned that the centre would not be operational for several years, depending on the pace of fundraising.