CORK ARC has moved to a new and permanent premises in Bantry town from where it plans to expand its cancer support services in West Cork.
Cork Arc was established in the city in 2001, and opened in Goureebeg, Bantry in 2015. However last year, its ceo Stephen Teap issued an urgent appeal to help locate a new base from where they could continue to offer a safe and confidential space for cancer patients and their families to go to when they need support on their cancer journey.
‘We’re now happy to announce that we’ve just moved into a new building on the Glengarriff Road in Bantry town. It was challenging to find a new premises in the middle of a housing crisis but we were fortunate we had fantastic landlords in our former premises who gave us great flexibility. However, it’s still a huge relief to have our own permanent base from where we can grow,’ he said.
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The charity gets 40% of its funding from the HSE and Stephen said it’s the support and generosity of the community and volunteers that help Cork Arc deliver a diverse range of services free of charge including counselling, oncology nurse support, bereavement information, an online ‘thrive and survive’ survivorship programme and specialised breast cancer services.
Current plans include extending children’s services to from the city to West Cork including art and play therapists.
‘The amazing support we’ve had from the community over the past decade has brought us to where we are currently, and the purchase of our permanent home in what was Daly Barry Associates Architects marks another milestone from where we can grow,’ said Stephen.
He became a nationally recognised figure after his wife Irene died in 2017 at the age of 35 after a cervical cancer misdiagnosis. I
rene was diagnosed with stage-two cancer in 2015 after two false negative cervical cancer tests in 2010 and 2013.
She was one of 17 women who died after getting the incorrect results.
Her audited results were known three weeks before her death, but were not shared with her.
Last year the charity supported 400 people in the region – up from 300 last year, with demand growing all the time.
Cork Arc is currently open in Bantry on Tuesday and Thursday with plans to expand, added Stephen.
