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Charity's bags 'show cancer patients they're not alone'

Daisy Stephens
BBC News
BBC A woman with short grey hair and wearing a grey jumper, and a woman with short blonde hair, glasses and a multicoloured stripy cardigan. The woman wearing glasses is holding up a beige bag with a pink zip and a ribbon logo on the front. They are both smiling at the camera.BBC
Carol Anne Doyle (left) was diagnosed with two types of cancer in 2019

One of the founders of a charity that makes bags for cancer patients has said their products show people they are "not alone".

Lindsey Lucas and Carol Anne Doyle started Bags of Hope in autumn 2024, and have so far distributed 350 bags across Berkshire.

Ms Doyle, who herself has been treated for cancer, said the bags were designed to carry everything people needed for receiving cancer treatment.

Ms Lucas said they were "made with love and hope", and were a way of offering people practical support.

"It's sometimes very difficult to say to a person who's got cancer 'I want to be there for you' without seeming gushing or too over emotional," she said.

"Give a bag and say 'I want to support you with this and this is a gift for you just to help you a little bit on that road so that you know you're not on your own'."

'A real journey'

Ms Doyle was diagnosed with endometrial and ovarian cancer in 2019.

"I took every single treatment that they threw at me - chemotherapy, radiotherapy, all sorts of things - and it was a real journey," she said.

She found she needed "a tonne of stuff" for her treatment, and made herself a bag to carry it all in - and then wanted to do the same for others.

The charity recommends a number of things that could go in the bag, including scarves, items needed for cold caps, snacks, earphones, a magazine, a notebook to write down what the nurses or doctors tell you, and information booklets.

Getty Images An IV bag with clear liquid in it with a yellow sticker saying "chemotherapy". Three patients can be seen sitting in chairs behind it.Getty Images
Ms Doyle said she found she needed a lot of stuff when going to hospital for her treatment

Bags of Hope now has more than 20 volunteers, each with their own reasons for getting involved.

"There's one volunteer whose mum taught her how to sew and her mum died of cancer... she sees this as continuing with her mum's legacy," said Ms Doyle.

"The stories are just wonderful."

The charity has been nominated for Best New Start-Up of the Year at the Thames Valley Business and Community Awards.

Ms Doyle said they could not believe how it had taken off.

"It's beyond our wildest dreams," she said.

Their plan now is to expand - first into the wider Thames Valley, and then nationally.

"We're going big on this," said Ms Doyle. "Let's all join together and make this happen."

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