Saltaire drop-in centre to provide a helping hand for families (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Saltaire drop-in centre to provide a helping hand for families

7:59am Friday 3rd September 2010 in

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Parents of children living with cancer, and adults who battled the disease as a child, are to benefit from a new advice and drop-in centre.

The centre in Bingley Road, Saltaire, has been opened by the Bradford-based Little Heroes children’s cancer charity.

Its founder, Colin Nesbitt, is a qualified debt consultant and will be on hand to offer guidance to parents applying for Disability Living Allowance. He said: “Parents of children with cancer amass debt.

“They take time off work, they can’t pay their bills. When you’re in hospital you don’t think about paying rent or your mortgage. We will offer a debt-management service.”

He said the centre will also be a place for parents and people who have had cancer as children to share their experiences.

“A parent can come in and sit down and chat with other parents about respite and things that are really important,” said Mr Nesbitt.

“It’s a survivor centre as well. If you’ve gone through childhood cancer you might have missed school, you might struggle to find a job. We will help those people get into work.

“We can start working together to help them get on with their lives.”

Mr Nesbitt set up the Little Heroes cancer charity in January last year because of his experience caring for four-year-old leukaemia sufferer Reece Randall.

He said he would have appreciated a local advice service when Reece was diagnosed with the disease.

“To know it’s available, that someone is at the end of a phone, is something that is really important,” he said.

Parents can now drop in to the Little Heroes Support Centre in Saltaire, phone the charity on (01274) 288188, or visit littleheroes.org.uk for more information.