If we were to summarise 2022 up in one word, it would be inspiring, for many reasons however, mainly because we have been so deeply touched by so many inspirational people who even as they walked through some dark and scary moments, still managed to be humbled and grateful for their treatment.

We know that our breast service is amazing! The Primrose Centre is full of wonderful and dedicated members of the team who go above and beyond to show each person compassion and care, it is thanks to those key members of the team as to why so many people support our charity and so from everyone here at The Primrose Foundation, thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has donated or fundraised throughout 2022. This year we saw some warrior women come together and walk from Princetown to Plymouth, we witnessed one man’s momentous marathon of 55k and who could forget those wonderful Dare 2 Ladies who dared to dance for the third time in aid of The Primrose Foundation, plus so many more wonderful people who supported us in some astonishing ways.

We have been blown away by the support and commitment we have received, not only this year but over the past 27 years since our local breast cancer charity was established. It is because of our army of supporters as to why we stand so proud today.

We are incredibly proud of all our achievements, this year and beyond but to summarise this year’s achievements we have funded a dedicated part-time Clinical Psychologist, a part-time Plastic Reconstruction Nurse, and a part-time Oncology Support Nurse, all of whom we hope many of you have benefited from.

We have also funded a variety of additional comforts for patients and staff as well as various staff training bursaries – our aim has always been to ensure every person seen here at the Primrose centre receives the best possible treatment and care.

We saw the retirement of our outstanding Chair of Trustees Mrs Susan Hobbs in September. Sue chaired the charity for a whole 12 years and was part of making a huge difference in our breast services. Primrose will always play a huge part in Sue’s life but now felt like the right time to hand the reins over to Mrs Fiona Osmaston.

Fiona, like so many has been a Primrose Patient, she knows what it’s like to be given that devastating news, to walk that road of recovery and to cope with all the life changes a cancer diagnosis can bring therefore she brings with her the passion to make a difference. Fiona has been an active fundraiser as part of the Dare 2 Ladies and has a good understanding of the patient’s perspective of treatment. She is getting to know the Primrose Team and hopes to ensure they are supported in all aspects of their work.

In October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) we launched our first-ever campaign called ‘Support Us To Support You’ which is proudly supported by M&S Plymouth, this was a very exciting time and we hope that our campaign will not only raise awareness of the benefits of wearing the right fitted bra but will also encourage more people to attend their breast screening appointments.

With 30% fewer people attending breast screening we want to do all we can to encourage more people to attend their appointments. Screening matters so please help spread awareness and encourage your loved ones to attend those all-important appointments.

As a year draws a close it’s always great to reflect on all you have achieved, it’s also good to look ahead and start planning for the new year.

We started 2022 with a fundraising target of £60,000 and we are elated to confirm that not only did we smash this, but we also raised over £20,000 over our fundraising target.

As a not-for-profit organisation, this means that we have more money to put into your local breast service. We pride ourselves on listening to our supporters and making changes to benefit everyone therefore if there is something you would like to see us fund, please get in touch and let’s see what we can achieve together.

Looking ahead we are setting a fundraising target for 2023 of £80,000, this matches what was raised this year so imagine the difference we could make if you helped us achieve our goal.

In 2023 we will be introducing our Primrose Promise, which is:

• Committed to excellence in breast care

• Work in partnership

• Support, Listen, learn and act

• Engage, inform, Innovate, and grow

Thank you once again for your support, your friendship and your love. We appreciate every bit of support you provide so please continue to support us so we can support you.

Much Love

The Primrose Foundation