New look and new website thanks to National Lottery support

Cancer charity, Aurora has received £33k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The grant will make it safer and easier for people affected by a cancer diagnosis to find and access support in Bassetlaw, with part of the funding going towards a refreshed look and a new online presence.

Aurora has relied more extensively on digital communications since the start of the pandemic and it is believed the new and improved online presence will make it easier for local people to find out what services and support are available for cancer patients, their family, friends and carers.

The charity is continuing to offer support whilst building work continues at the Old Library Building and Museum, set to reopen in September. The new Aurora brand is a glimpse of what people might expect to see when the refurbished building is unveiled.

Debra Fores, Aurora centre manager in Bassetlaw, said:

“We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to refresh the Aurora brand and develop our online presence, and thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now share details about the vital support we offer along with updates about the work being carried at the Old Library Building and Museum – as we believe this will benefit the local community immensely.

“When people have been diagnosed with cancer or have a long-term health condition it is important to find help and support easily and our new website helps to achieve this – it’s user friendly, interactive and it looks great. We’re grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time, it’s a lifeline to us.”

Aurora continues to operate a tea room and charity shop ‘Aurora@Dukeries’ on Bridge St, Worksop and provides beauty treatments and therapies from Sparkles Beauty on Kilton Road, and will continue to do so until the reopening of the Old Library Building and Museum later this year.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as Aurora during this uncertain time.”

Debra continued: “Having an online presence that people can interact with is vital for the charity. We have been badly affected by the pandemic and making it easy for people to find us, make a donation, or to just get involved – for example volunteering, attending events or simply sharing our news – is incredibly helpful to us. 2021 is already an exciting year and we can’t wait to reopen the building and welcome back familiar faces.”

Keep and look at the Aurora website and social media channels for updates and announcements.