Doctorate honour in campaign year

The charity’s founder and life president, David Simons, has been awarded an honorary doctorate in medicine by Sheffield University, which he will receive in January.

An appeal to raise funds for the centre, near Cavendish’s existing premises on Wilkinson Street, Broomhall, is being backed by the Sheffield Telegraph.

The charity has raised more than 50 per cent of its £193,000 target towards the renovation of its new home.

Mr Simons founded the charity in 1991. As a dentist, he had been successfully using hypnosis and relaxation therapies to help patients who were anxious, stressed or in pain.

Increasingly, doctors began to refer patients to him who were struggling to come to terms with cancer.

“The last year has been somewhat of a whirlwind for me,” says Mr Simons.

“We have reached our 25th anniversary, seen our 20,000th client, found the perfect building and now I am to receive an honorary degree. If somebody asked me to pick out a particular achievement from this year, I really think I’d be too overwhelmed to even try.

He added: “There are more people than ever before living with and beyond cancer.

“We must ensure we are there for the next person who needs us, and we can only do this with the ongoing support of local people like the readers of the Sheffield Telegraph.

“It is a tremendous tribute that the university has bestowed this honour on me but really I see it as an honour for everyone involved with the charity – past, present and future.”

* Visit Capital Appeal to donate, call 01142754070 or write to Fundraising, The Cavendish Centre, 27 Wilkinson Street, Sheffield, S10 2GB.