Thanks to the incredible backing of our fundraisers and donors, we’re celebrating having raised our initial goal of £2m for The ANCHOR Centre.

Since launching our ANCHORED Together appeal in late 2018, we’ve seen people take on all kinds of challenges from races and skydives to bake sales and ladies days. We’ve also been fortunate to have a kind collective who’ve pledged monthly donations to help us reach the target.

We’re indebted to all those who have helped us reach that awe-inspiring £2m goal. Thank you.

Your generosity means we can provide the funding needed to further enhance what will be an excellent facility. It will fund upgraded equipment and furnishings, soothing artwork, superb additions to research and teaching facilities, and a dedicated complementary therapy room providing a spa-like setting for our massage, hydrotherm, nail and hair and wig services.

We’ve crunched the numbers and estimate that £0.5m is what it will take to deliver our first year of services and support for patients and staff in The ANCHOR Centre. So now, with the £2m pot filled, our pledge is to continue our fundraising momentum to deliver the difference for the 65,000 people who will walk through the Centre’s doors every year for treatment.

Daily in the Centre, our wellbeing services will continue, and our welcome team will be the friendly faces greeting patients and aiding their navigation through the building. Our gardening team will maintain the tranquil green spaces that have incorporated into the design, and our core wellbeing team will be on hand for additional support. Our continued partnership with NHS Grampian for The ANCHOR Centre will be unwavering, so we can futureproof the excellence of care and standard of service delivery that will be on offer.

The ANCHOR Centre will be the first of its kind in Scotland, serving people in the North-east and Northern Isles - a population of more than half a million people.

Due to open later this year, it will be used by an estimated 250 patients every day... that's around 65,000 people a year. Day patients and outpatients will attend the brand new, purpose-built facility, located alongside the existing radiotherapy suite at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, which opened in 2013 as phase one of The ANCHOR Centre project. 

The Centre will bring together oncology and haematology day patients, including those with non-malignant blood disorders, under the same roof. The building will have its own, dedicated entrance to welcome patients in swiftly and easily. Spanning three floors, the Centre will house an aseptic pharmacy, a consulting suite, a treatment suite, a Teenagers and Young Adults Lounge, a teaching and training suite, and the Friends of ANCHOR complementary therapy room, a private and relaxing spa-inspired room in which patients can make use of the charity's free wellbeing services including massage and hydrotherm, nail services, hair and wig styling and podiatry. 

The site will also afford immediate access to the existing radiotherapy suite, bringing all outpatient services into an easy-to-navigate, self-contained hub. 

An information hub, hosted by Friends of ANCHOR at the entrance to the Centre, will provide information and support for patients. Transport and access will be greatly enhanced, with 6 disabled parking bays and a bus stop right outside, making shuttle transport to and from CLAN Haven and the Lady Wood Car Park easy and hassle-free. Thanks to its well-considered location, the Centre will be just a short walk from the front door of the Maggie's Centre too.