Real Life: Melanie Hersey is spreading love and light to cancer patients

To mark World Cancer Day, we meet Melanie Hersey, founder of Cambridge-based charity Touch of Sparkle, which has provided more than 7,000 uplifting care packs to cancer patients

When did you launch Touch of Sparkle and why?

Touch of Sparkle was launched in 2015, so we celebrate our 10th anniversary this year! I set the project up to bring a little care and kindness to the cancer journey, which can be quite clinical. Care pack projects were quite big in America at the time but there weren’t many running in the UK. I initially intended to donate 10 care packages and then people really got behind the idea so we’ve since donated more than 7,000.

You work as a freelance translator, so Touch of Sparkle is a voluntary endeavour. What motivated you to dedicate your time to the project?

We all have friends and relatives that have been touched by cancer in some way, so it was the idea that a small item could make a big difference. It was the power of that realisation and the thought that if someone was going through a clinical process and a shock diagnosis, for example, then we could give them something to make their day a bit easier.

Where did you source your initial donations?

I put together an Amazon wish list for items such as bed socks and herbal teas. People were so generous that I ended up with much more than expected. After the first batch, more people heard about Touch of Sparkle and that brought in a second wave of donations so it allowed me to keep going in a way that wasn’t intended or expected but I was very grateful for.

Which hospital benefited from those first care packs?

The project was launched at the breast unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital initially. The hospital asked me if I would expand to oncology and then requested care packs for men, who seemed to be overlooked at that time in terms of care packs. I just tried to meet the demand as it arose.

How did you decide which hospitals to donate to?

To start with I chose Addenbrooke’s as it’s on my doorstep, then during lockdown a local charity put me in touch with Hinchingbrooke Hospital and we started donating to oncology patients at the Woodlands Centre. More recently I was approached by Peterborough Hospital so we supply all three hospitals with care packs now.

What kind of items can we find in your care packs?

They include socks, lip balms, toiletries, puzzle books, notebooks, earplugs and wildflower seeds as a nice little distraction. For the female packs I have friends who make little knitted bags and the Butterfly Legacy Project in Huntingdon send hand-sewn washbags, eye masks and tissue covers, so that adds a personal touch. Anything to help people cope through a hospital stay or treatment.

Do you cater for children?

I do a big toy donation every now and then, so we have donated 12,000 reward toys to date. The idea is that young people going through a procedure, a blood test or scan can pick a little toy afterwards to hopefully make the hospital experience more positive.

Touch of Sparkle has received charity status in November. What has that meant to you?

I wanted to achieve charity status to mark our 10-year anniversary and I hope it makes it easier to secure bigger grants. Hitting 7,000 care pack donations was also a lovely milestone!

Is it rewarding to know that you are bringing some light into cancer patients’ lives?

Yes, it is so lovely to know that we can bring comfort to patients at such a challenging time and motivates us to keep the project going. We are very lucky to have had the support of the Leys School Community Fund, which has donated two £5,000 grants to the care packs at Addenbrooke’s in 2023 and 2024 as well as £1,000 to the reward toys in 2024.

You must get lovely feedback from cancer patients who’ve received your care packs?

I do receive little thank you messages from patients, which makes it feel worthwhile. One lady said the care pack had lifted her spirits as she was feeling lonely, staying in a hotel whilst undergoing daily radiotherapy. Another messaged me at midnight to say she had woken from breast cancer surgery really hungry; she’d missed dinner and was opening the wine gums I’d put in her pack. It felt such an honour to be able to help her. Others tell me that the care packs make them feel like a person, not a patient, and ultimately that is what the project is about.

To donate to Touch of Sparkle, visit gofundme.com/touchofsparkle