We are excited to share the news that The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre has exchanged on the building we plan to be our new Centre – and it’s almost next-door! In fact, we are moving into 17-19 Monson Road, the building currently occupied by Imago Community which, in turn, has cemented plans to move to a bigger base in Lamberhurst Vineyard.
Our new building – double the size of the existing Centre – will continue to provide a ‘warm and cosy hub’ for visitors, while offering the space for more quiet areas, as well as additional and accessible therapy rooms. In turn, Imago had out-grown its current location and needed a new head office to provide additional space for its expanding team, while remaining in the Tunbridge Wells borough.
The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre exists for anyone impacted by cancer, as well as their friends and family. It is entirely self-funding, run solely by volunteers and relies on donations to survive. Last year around 2,500 people turned to Pickering for help and support, with therapists providing 1,000 treatments, all of which is provided free of charge. This exciting move for Pickering, comes at a time when the charity is celebrating its 21st birthday.
“When it comes to finding a property, location is key,” says David Bartholomew, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Pickering. “We love being based in the heart of Tunbridge Wells – so are delighted to have found our new Centre…on our doorstep. At Pickering, we already work collaboratively with other local charities, so it feels special to not only be securing our future as a charity but seeing Imago do the same.”
Adds Angela Ward, Deputy Chair at Pickering: “Both charities now have a lot of work ahead of us and Pickering doesn’t expect to be in our new Centre until at least the spring of 2026. But, we are thrilled to have exchanged and be in a position to start making plans for this exciting next stage for our charity.”
Imago Community is a social action charity offering a wide range of support services for people of all ages across Kent, Medway, East Sussex and London. Last year, the organisation celebrated 60 years of supporting individuals, families and communities to improve their health and wellbeing, creating positive change together.
“After we exchanged on the building, we told our team that Pickering would be moving in and they were thrilled that another local charity would be using this space,” says Caroline Shaw, Chief Executive at Imago Community. “With this joint move, we are helping to secure a long-term sustainable future for both charities. Having been based in central Tunbridge Wells for so long, we were keen to find a new office location in the borough. Imago’s Head Office in Lamberhurst will be energy efficient, which will help with rising operational costs and we are looking forward to a much bigger building with adaptable, open-plan spaces for collaborative working.”
David Bartholomew comments: “We couldn’t have done this without the assistance of Tom Lumsden and his colleagues at CooperBurnett LLP, who guided us expertly through the paperwork. Thank you to them all, as well as our Centre Manager, Caroline McGibney for helping to ease this transition. We will miss having Imago as our neighbour but wish them well in Lamberhurst.”
To enable its move, The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre has launched The Key to the Door Fundraising Campaign to raise £150,000: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/keytothedoor
