about força
Helping people affected by cancer in Hampshire and Dorset
força - strength against cancer is a registered charity, founded as the unincorporated association 'força 14' in 2011 by a group of mums from Lymington who were inspired after one of their friends (who is originally from Portugal) was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
Força means ‘strength’ in Portuguese.
What started as a group of 14 friends rallying around to help look after children and cook meals whilst the exhaustion of chemotherapy took its toll, soon grew to be much more.
força 14 was delighted to become a UK Registered Charity in 2014, becoming força - strength against cancer.
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The objective of força - strength against cancer is to promote the physical and mental health of people living with or affected by cancer in Hampshire and Dorset through the provision of financial assistance, support, education and practical advice.
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All members of the força - strength against cancer team are volunteers.
To fund projects, força relies entirely on donations from family, friends and the local community. The team also applies for grants and other funding wherever possible. In addition, numerous individuals and organisations have helped raise funds by holding events or special offers. The team welcomes support from businesses.
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about our projects
Nourish by força is our flagship project, run in conjunction with Oakhaven Hospice since 2016. Eating healthily during treatment is so important, but can often feel like hard work, especially after chemotherapy.
We wanted to go back to our roots and provide healthy, nutritious meals for people undergoing chemotherapy so they don’t need to think about cooking and what to eat when they are having treatment. What’s more, cooking for a family during treatment is exhausting, so Nourish by força provides some practical support.
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People undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Lymington New Forest Hospital, together with Day Centre users at Oakhaven Hospice, can take away two frozen meals per week for them and their immediate family, cooked by Oakhaven Kitchen and funded by força.
At any one time, we are helping around 80 people and providing over 400 meals per month.
Strength by força funds practical help for individuals experiencing difficulties living with cancer, such as contributions to childcare costs, cleaning costs and other everyday items that ease living with cancer.
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For a number of years, Força paid for the running costs of the car brining chemotherapy drugs to Lymington. We have also funded equipment for the Chemo Outreach Nurse.
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Over the years we have helped a number of individuals and families from Hampshire and Dorset in their time of need. If you would like to apply for financial assistance, please complete this application form.
Support by força funds and supplies comfortable and supportive compression bras to women undergoing breast reconstruction surgery at two local hospitals, Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and Bournemouth Hospital.
The Support bras are specially designed for use after a mastectomy, and work much like compression socks, helping promote circulation for a better recovery. They are also designed to promote comfort and are super easy to put on. Best of all - they are great to use as exercise bras afterwards.
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Launched as a project in 2019, Support by força has thus far funded and supplied over 450 specialist bras to women across Hampshire and Dorset.
Awareness by força raises awareness at events and via social media of the importance of checking yourself regularly, where to find additional support and how diet and exercise can help.
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We rely entirely on donations and grant funding. If you are interested in running an event to raise funds for us, making a direct donation, offering corporate support or helping us in any way, please do get in touch!