There are a lot of charities operating in the United Kingdon and most have a High Street presence in the guise of a charity shop, but can you find a charity shop which is specifically devoted to MacMillan Cancer Support? Well the answer is not in every town but that does not mean the charity only carry out a small amount of work, on the contrary this charity are continually looking for innovated ways of dealing with cancer and helping cancer patients in numerous ways.

It all started in 1911 when a young man called Douglas Macmillan watched his father die of cancer. His father's pain and suffering moved Douglas so much, he founded the 'Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer'. Douglas wanted advice and information to be provided to all people with cancer, homes for patients at low or no cost, and voluntary nurses to attend to patients in their own homes.

Today much of Douglas' legacy lives on. They are still a source of support for people living with cancer today and they are a force for improving cancer care. Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland offers practical, emotional and financial help to people affected by cancer. They provide trained medical professionals to the National Health Service and have cancer centres throughout the country where people receive expert care in a specially designed environment.

They also run established information and support centres, and benefits and financial advice partnerships across Scotland.

By 2010 they want to be able to reach every single person who is diagnosed with cancer and to be there for them at every stage of their cancer journey, no matter who they are, what part of the country they live in, or what type of cancer they have.

This help may come in ways such as an information leaflet or specialist medical care and support, along with improving support for them in less visible ways, for instance, by influencing policies and legislation that may result in welcome changes, such as the removal of hospital parking charges.

What's more, cancer and their experience of it is changing. As the population ages, more people are being diagnosed with cancer but with the help of improvements in screening, diagnosis and treatment, more people are living longer with and after the disease. This means that a growing number of people need more than just medical help they also need information, practical, emotional and financial support. They're often spending less time in hospital and more time at home so cancer is becoming a part of more and more people's daily lives.

Anyone looking for further information or wishing to help this charity can do so by visiting their website at www.macmillan.org.uk

Article by Charles Litster supported by extracts from MacMillan Cancer Support Organisation