The people behind our ads – Meet Ged

At Maggie's we provide expert care and support to everyone with cancer and all the people who love them.

We want to make sure everybody facing cancer knows about Maggie’s and how Maggie’s can support them. 

To help us do this, we’ve launched a campaign featuring people who have been supported by Maggie’s, spreading the message we are everyone’s home of cancer care.

A few weeks ago Ged Owens, a regular visitor to Maggie’s Manchester, leant his voice to our first ever radio campaign. 

He will soon be heard across the airwaves on Smooth North West and Greatest Hits Manchester talking about what Maggie’s means to him.

Meet Ged

Ged, of Bolton, first heard about Maggie’s through his daughter who thought it might be a good place to visit while he was receiving treatment at The Christie hospital. 

Since that first visit, Ged has become a part of the Maggie’s Manchester community.

When asked if he would like to star in a radio advert for Maggie’s Ged didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. 

In his own words, Ged said: "I was invited to do it and like anything that Maggie’s asks me, if I can I will. I am only happy to do stuff for Maggie’s. It will highlight this magnificent place, and hopefully it will sound like that to a lot more people.

People need to know about Maggie’s and that won’t happen without things like radio advertising. When Maggie’s does fundraising and things like that, it’s on the Maggie's website, but unless it's on the radio or in the media, people won't know.

Ged adds: "Somebody asked me once, if you could change anything about Maggie's, what would you do? And I said, we have a saying in this part of the world: if it isn’t broken don't fix it.

"I basically was saying it is absolutely brilliant, don’t go tampering about with it. There is nothing else to do here, it's like a clock. It's just ticking along and doing really well.

"Everything's working, everything's operational. You don't ever see anybody stressed out. Everyone is so professional in what they do."

Advice for first Maggie’s visit

Ged’s advice to anybody listening to the adverts and thinking about visiting Maggie’s for the first time is to ‘go in with an open mind’.

He said: “You will walk into open arms. And you won’t be forced to talk about things unless you want to.

"You can sit here, put yourself in a corner and sort life out. That’s what I always say. I am sitting in this corner, and when I am going I will say ‘I am going now I have sorted life out’."

‘It’s such a lovely warming place’

“Whatever is troubling me or whatever appointments I've got, I just thrash it out with myself. And then I'll go home.

"People have got to come and have the experience. And the amount of people you will hear when you are sat at that kitchen table, coming in and saying, ‘It's breathtaking. Isn't it lovely?’

"It is such a lovely, warming place. It could be snowing and it is like somebody chucking a big coat on you.”

Maggie’s is…

When asked to summarise Maggie’s in his own words, Ged said: "Maggie's is comforting, warming, caring. Everybody is welcome."

"Maggie’s Manchester is a space for relaxing, accepting, talking and realising, caring and helping – you can’t forget the help."

We're here for you

Our cancer support specialists, psychologists and benefits advisors are here for everyone with cancer, and all the people who love them.

Come and see us at your nearest Maggie’s, call us on 0300 123 180 or email us at enquiries@maggies.org

Last review: Nov 2023 | Next review: May 2024