Macmillan group has raised £1.4million in 50 years for the Boston area

From funding the very first Macmillan nurse in Boston in 1988, to raising money for Macmillan Grants which helped hundreds of people pay for travel to and from cancer treatment, the Committee has made an enormous contribution to local cancer services.

Over the past 50 years there have been, barbeques, flower festivals, fashion shows, a hairdressing marathon, aerobathons, concerts, balls, coffee mornings, golf days, carol services and the famous Seabank Marathon among many other fundraising activities.

This year the Committee has committed to raising £50,000 to mark the anniversary.

Sue Kirk, MBE, was an early member and has been the driving force behind the committee. She sat on the Macmillan Board of Trustees for over 16 years and in 2015 was awarded an MBE in recognition of her support for people affected by cancer.

She said: “When I was 13, a friend’s father succumbed to cancer in his forties – I was horrified by his illness as I witnessed his huge loss of weight. Thankfully treatments have improved tremendously since 1958 and undoubtedly my friend’s dad would certainly have survived today.”

Sue became Secretary of the Committee in 1974, three years after it was established by Miss Nora Larrington, the Almoner of Boston General Hospital.

Sue continued: “I still am pleased to contribute today. We are an essential partner of the NHS and social care providers and long may we continue to be so in Boston, my home town, and elsewhere!’

The most successful fundraising achievement was the Seabank Marathon which was one of the first organised marathons in the country, even starting before the London Marathon. It ran for 36 years along the Seabank from Boston to Skegness, attracting over 900 entrants at its zenith.

Sally Farman has been Chair of the committee for the last 10 years. She became involved in fundraising for Macmillan after losing her dad to lung cancer in 2003. Her dad, Reg, was supported by a Macmillan nurse so Sally wanted to do something to thank the charity.

She said: “I don’t think I realised how much they did, and how much was going on behind the scenes until afterwards. I joined the committee a year later. I wanted to do something to help improve cancer services locally. It’s such a rural area with such a widespread population and we didn’t have the same level of support available in a city.”

Sally added: “Sue is the driving force. She’s very passionate about Macmillan. She pushed to ensure Lincolnshire wasn’t left behind. I don’t think we would have the cancer services that we do in Lincolnshire without Sue.”