A new Chair for The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre

After six years as Chair and ten years as a Trustee, David Bartholomew has handed over the role of Chair of The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre to fellow Trustee Danielle Friend.

David has been involved with Pickering since its early days and has played a key role in supporting the charity’s growth, including guiding the Centre through the challenges of the pandemic and the purchase of its new premises.

Danielle, who joined the Board in 2024, brings extensive charity leadership experience and is honoured to take on the role. She is looking forward to helping shape the future of Pickering as the charity continues to support people affected by cancer across the local community.

Click here to read the full article.

St George’s Day Lunch in aid of Pickering

The Exiles – an inspiring group of local business associates – hosted their tenth annual St George’s Day Lunch in aid of The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre at The Spa Hotel on Friday 24 April.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, the event raised an incredible £21,892.80 for The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

Click here to read the full article.

A Standing Ovation for TWODS

Our Deputy Chair, Angela Ward, recently attended TWODS’ production of Evita at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells and described it as “absolutely phenomenal”.

TWODS have been long-time supporters of The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued generosity and commitment to supporting our Centre and visitors.

We’d like to thank everyone involved for another fantastic production and for the ongoing support they show Pickering.

Looking ahead, TWODS’ next production will be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and we’re sure it will be another wonderful show.

Upcoming Events

Woodland Gallery 

The Woodlands Gallery Exhibition 2026 in Pembury is taking place from 5th–7th June and 11th–21st June, featuring the work of 12 talented local artists.

Each year, visitors have the opportunity to purchase a range of items from the exhibition, with proceeds generously donated to The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre. We’re so grateful for their continued support.

10 Tonbridge Road, Pembury, TN2 4QL

Open daily: 11am–6pm

If you’re looking for something special to visit this June, why not pop along and support a wonderful local exhibition.

Denny’s Festival 

We’re delighted to share that Denny’s Fest is back for 2025 and this year marks a very special milestone as the event celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Taking place on 25th July, Denny’s Fest will be held at a new venue – The George Pub and Garden. The event runs from midday until late and promises to be another fantastic day of music.

We are incredibly grateful that The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre has once again been chosen as the charity beneficiary. Denny’s Fest has supported Pickering every year since it began.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising this wonderful event.

Thank You to NFU Mutual

We would like to extend our thanks to NFU Mutual and its Agency Giving Fund for their incredibly generous donation of £7,899 to The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

The Agency Giving Fund is an annual national initiative that supports small, frontline charities across the UK, helping organisations like ours continue to make a difference in local communities.

We are extremely grateful to NFU Mutual for choosing to support Pickering and for helping us continue our work within the community.

The Exiles – an inspiring group of local business associates – hosted their tenth annual St George’s Day Lunch in aid of The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre at The Spa Hotel on Friday 24 April.

Over that time, the Exiles have raised more than £200,000 for the Tunbridge Wells-based charity that provides vital emotional support and therapies to people with cancer (along with their family and friends) from its centre in Monson Road.

As ever, the lunch sold-out months ago, with supporters including CooperBurnett LLP and Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine taking tables.

Chair of Trustees, David Bartholomew, thanked the Exiles and lunch guests for their ongoing support. Then Karen Dodd, a volunteer counsellor at The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre for nearly ten years, gave a passionate speech about the support the charity provides and the difference it makes to visitors.

The event also included an auction and raffle with prizes provided by many very generous donors.

The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre will use the funds raised to enable it to continue providing support, particularly as the charity moves into a larger building in Monson Road later this year.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone involved, the event raised an incredible £21,892.80 for The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

Photographs by Sarah Bartholomew

After six years as Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre and ten years as a Trustee, David Bartholomew has passed on the baton of Chair to Danielle Friend. 

Established 21 years ago, The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre provides support to cancer patients, as well as their friends and families, from its Centre in Monson Road, Tunbridge Wells. 

David, a professional photographer, has supported and been involved with Pickering since its inception, becoming a Trustee in 2016 and Chair in January 2020. Over the years, he has also raised money for the charity, including tackling Hadrian’s Wall. 

“Pickering has been an important part of my life for the past 20 years,” says David. “Having had a close family member and good friends who have used the charity, I have seen first-hand how much the Centre can help. I am very proud and honoured to have been Chair for the past six years but know I am handing over the role to a very capable successor in Danielle.”

Danielle Friend, owner of accountancy practice Create Balance, joined the Pickering board in 2024 and boasts extensive charity experience. Through Create Balance, she provides Finance Director (FD) services to a regional air ambulance charity as well as previously being the FD of a Maidstone-based drug and alcohol charity. 

“My experience isn’t just finance, as I’ve led on HR, IT and Estates – which has given me a wealth of experience and an all-round strategic view of how charities run to better service their primary mission,” says Danielle, who was born and raised in Tunbridge Wells and attended Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School (TWGGS). 

Today, Danielle lives in Tunbridge Wells with her partner Andrew, their daughter Emily and two dogs, Baxter and Barney. 

The Pickering Board also includes Deputy Chair, Angela Ward; Treasurer; Chris Maslin; Richard Moore; and Dr Rema Jyothirmayi.

“I have some very big boots to fill as Chair of Pickering,” says Danielle. “David has provided trusted and steady leadership through a period that included navigating the pandemic and purchasing our new Centre. We have so much to thank him for.”

She continues: “I am enormously proud to take on the responsibility of being Chair of the Pickering Board. The charity is close to my heart, as I lost a dear friend to cancer in 2022, who cared a lot about the charity, even before she became ill. To be given the opportunity to shape the future of the charity as Chair, is nothing short of a privilege.”

A Visit from CooperBurnett

This month, we were delighted to welcome Senior Associate Katie Hancock and Solicitor Courtney Magnus from the Private Client team at CooperBurnett LLP to The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

During their visit, they met with our Centre Manager, Caroline McGibney, and Deputy Chair of Trustees, Angela Ward, who shared more about the work we do and the support we offer to those affected by cancer.

Based on Monson Road in Tunbridge Wells, Pickering provides support to anyone with a cancer diagnosis, as well as their family and friends. This year is a particularly exciting one for us, as we recently celebrated our 21st birthday and are looking ahead to our move into a new, larger building just a few doors down.

Our new home will give us the opportunity to offer even more therapies and support in a fully accessible environment, helping us to continue growing and supporting even more people in our community.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

March also marked International Women’s Day, and we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the incredible women who give so much of their time and care to Pickering.

Our wonderful volunteers play such an important role in keeping the Centre running smoothly, offering kindness, compassion and support to everyone who walks through our doors.

Their dedication makes a real difference every single day, and we are so grateful for all that they do.

To all the amazing women who help make Pickering what it is — thank you.

There Are So Many Ways to Support Pickering

There are lots of ways to get involved with The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

Whether you’d like to:

• Take part in fundraising
• Volunteer your time
• Support us through donations
• Or simply help spread the word
  
  

Every contribution, big or small, helps us continue providing support, comfort and care to those who need it most.

If you’d like to support Pickering, we’d love to hear from you.

Treatment Spotlight: Reflexology

At The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre, we offer a range of treatments and therapies to support our visitors’ wellbeing — including Reflexology.

These treatments are available to visitors who attend the Centre on a regular basis, offering a moment of calm, comfort and care alongside the emotional and practical support we provide.

Reflexology is based on the idea that the feet and hands contain ‘reflex’ points which correspond to different organs and systems throughout the body. By applying gentle pressure to these points, therapists aim to encourage the body’s natural healing processes.

Many of our visitors find reflexology to be a deeply relaxing and restorative experience.

A Visit from The Exiles

This month, we were also very pleased to welcome The Exiles to the Centre.

The Exiles have supported Pickering for many years, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued kindness and generosity. One of the ways they support us is through their annual St George’s Lunch, which has become a valued tradition and an important fundraiser for the Centre.

We’re always touched by the support of our local community, and visits like these mean so much to us.

Thank you to The Exiles for your ongoing support.

While the space is still empty for now, this moment marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Centre and everyone we support.

We were also delighted to feature on BBC Radio Kent, sharing more about the work we do, and we received some incredibly generous donations.

Keys to Our New Home

At the start of this month, we picked up the keys to our new home. While it’s not quite ready yet, this is a huge step forward — and we’re so looking forward to welcoming everyone through the doors in the future.

Just along the road from our current building in Monson Road, the new Centre will give us the opportunity to create a bigger, more accessible space for our community.

Deputy Chair of Trustees, Angela Ward shares:

“We hope to have room for six or seven therapy rooms, as well as a light-filled art therapy space on the second floor. We’ll also have the same welcoming lounge area downstairs, plus a fully fitted kitchen and an airy conservatory.

Importantly, it’s key that our new Centre is fully accessible to everyone, so we’ll have a lift to reach all floors. There’s a lot of work to do before we can officially move in, so we will continue operating from our existing Centre until then, ensuring visitors are fully supported throughout.”

Looking ahead to 2026, we’re also hoping to build stronger links with local businesses. We’ve recently launched the Pickering Partners scheme, where companies can support the Centre from as little as £50 a month.

If you’re part of a local business and would like to find out more, we’d love to have a conversation.

Community Support

We were delighted to welcome three members of the U3A crochet group, who came to visit us after hearing our recent BBC Radio Kent broadcast.

They have kindly offered to make handmade items for us to sell in support of Pickering. The photograph below shows an example of the beautiful creations they have previously made for a charity stall last year.

These lovely handmade goods will soon be available to purchase at the Centre, alongside some Easter items generously made by other members of our community.

Donations

We’ve been incredibly grateful to receive some wonderful support this month, and we’d love to highlight the people and groups who have made a difference.

The Abergavennians

Our sincere thanks to the Abergavennians and its members for their donation of £2,976 to Pickering.

The society was named in memory of its President, The Marquis of Abergavenny, and several times a year members come together to play at golf courses away from Tunbridge Wells, share a meal, and raise funds for a local charity through raffles, auctions and personal contributions.

Each year, the Captain selects the charity to support. In 2025, Captain Richard Trapp chose the Pickering Centre — something we are truly grateful for.

Over the past nine years, the society has raised an incredible £25,000 for local charities. What an amazing contribution to the local community.

Penshurst Christmas Market

Thank you to Rob Rees, who recently visited us to present the proceeds from the Penshurst Christmas Market — a wonderful £3,500 raised in support of Pickering.

TWODS – Tunbridge Wells Operatic & Dramatic Society

We were also delighted to welcome Kevin Denman and Jon Alcock from TWODS, who presented a donation of £2,500.

We’re especially thankful for their ongoing support, including donating theatre tickets to our visitors so they can enjoy a special evening out.

Their next production, Evita, will be at the Assembly Hall Theatre from 26–30 May.

To everyone who continues to support Pickering in so many different ways — thank you. Your kindness helps us continue to be here for those who need us

BBC Radio Kent

Our Centre Manager, Caroline McGibney, recently had a chat with Lucy Horobin on BBC Radio Kent about the work we do at The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre.

It was a wonderful opportunity to share more about the support we offer and the difference our Centre makes to people affected by cancer in our community.

Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine

This month, we were delighted to feature in Tunbridge Wells Business Magazine.

In the article, our Deputy Chair of Trustees, Angela Ward, shares why 2026 will be a year of significant change for The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre, following our 21st anniversary last year.

As we prepare to move into larger premises, we’re also hoping to welcome more volunteers and build stronger connections with corporate supporters — helping us extend our support to even more people in the community.

You can read the full article here:

2026 will see a year of big change for The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre charity, which celebrated its 21st anniversary last year. It not only moves into bigger premises but hopes to take on more volunteers and corporate supporters, says its Deputy Chair Angela Ward…

How does The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre differ from other local cancer charities?

As our name suggests, we are a ‘drop in’ centre and we welcome anyone with cancer (and their loved ones) to ring on our doorbell. Once inside, our visitors are welcomed with a hot drink and the opportunity to chat with our volunteers. We offer a non-medical setting and are there to support the emotional side of a cancer diagnosis.

Can you put a figure on how many people you are currently supporting?

In 2025, there were 1,911 individual visits to the Centre and 1,021 therapy sessions provided. In total last year, 86 newcomers walked through our door. In addition to an opportunity to chat (or simply sit quietly), we also offer a variety of therapies – from counselling and acupuncture to art and ceramics groups. All our therapists are volunteers.

You have gained new premises here in Tunbridge Wells. How did this come about?

Our existing Centre at 27 Monson Road has served us well over the past 19 years, but we recognised that we needed more space. We also want our entire building to be accessible, as we currently only have one therapy room on the ground floor. We looked at a few potential buildings but then discovered our near neighbour, the charity Imago Community, was moving, as they also required additional space. Imago’s building, at the end of the same terrace in Monson Road, comprises two of the original houses – so is double the size of our existing home.

Will the additional space give you more room for therapy spaces?

Yes, we hope to have room for six or seven rooms, as well as a light-filled art therapy space on the second floor. We’ll also have the same welcoming lounge area downstairs, plus a fully fitted kitchen and an airy conservatory. Importantly, it’s key that our new Centre is fully accessible
to everyone, so we’ll have a lift to reach all the floors. There’s a lot of work to do until we can officially move in, so we will be keeping our existing Centre until that time, ensuring visitors are supported throughout this period.

You raised funds through your Key to the Door campaign – what did this involve?

As a charity, we are entirely self-funded, so we launched the Key to the Door fundraising campaign, with the goal of raising £150,000 to help fund our move and ensure our new Centre is as warm and welcoming as our current hub. Pickering supporters have been extremely generous and have organised a variety of different fundraisers to help us on our way – from quiz nights to sporting challenges – and we are very grateful for their support.

What fundraising goals do you have for 2026?

In addition to making changes to our new home to make it perfect for Pickering, we also need funds to continue running our new Centre, so fundraising continues to be very important. We are grateful to Waitrose in Crowborough for including us in its green token scheme in which we could receive up to £1,500. In addition to fundraising initiatives by supporters, we are also looking to organise some fundraisers ourselves over the next 12 months.

How supportive has the local business community been?

Over the years, we have received amazing support. This includes the guidance of Tom Lumsden, Commercial Property Partner at Cooper Burnett LLP. He and his team have provided legal support, for which we are truly grateful. In 2026, we want to work even more closely with corporates. For this reason, we recently launched the Pickering Partners scheme where, from as little as £50 a month, companies can support Pickering on an ongoing basis, as well as achieving their CSR and ESG goals. We’d love to talk to more businesses about that.

And finally, would you welcome new volunteers?

We are always interested in hearing from potential volunteers and trustees. As we move into our new Centre, we anticipate that we’ll also be looking for new therapists, perhaps providing therapies we haven’t had the space to offer our visitors previously.

Thanks to Darren, Julie and all the members at Nevill for supporting us!

The project with the most votes will receive £1,500 donation — every token really does make a difference!

Thank you for your support.

Your support means the world to us and makes such a difference to the people we help.

This lovely robin was drawn by one of our visitors alongside our art therapist, Doron. A beautiful reminder of the creativity and togetherness that fills the Centre.