A Very Special Visitor

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Maggie's Centre welcomes unexpected guest

Crowds of well-wishers lined the street outside Charing Cross hospital this morning (Wednesday 1 April) to try and catch a glimpse of a very special visitor.

U .S. First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to the award-winning Maggie's Centre, inside the grounds of the hospital, along with the Prime Minister's wife, Sarah Brown.

The two women spent the morning talking to cancer patients and staff inside the £3.5m state-of-the-art building, which opened last year.

They also joined women cancer sufferers in a make-up class before taking part in the centre's first birthday celebrations.

Michelle wowed the crowds with her sparkly, stylish outfit and, while security was tight in the hospital grounds, many people gathered outside, holding their cameras through the railings to try and get a photo of the First Lady.

The Obamas are in London to attend theG20 summit, which takes place on Thursday (April 2).

Maggie's Centres were the vision of Maggie Keswick

Jencks when she herself was treated for cancer. She recognised the difficulties of accessing information

and ongoing support which help people cope when

faced with a diagnosis of cancer.

Maggie’s Centres are intended to be housed in

beautiful buildings and gardens that patients can visit as  often as they like, and where they find expert medical advice as well as "practical, psychological and emotional support".

Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith sees over 6,000 new cancer patients every year. The centre offers, free of charge, a programme of drop-in and pre-booked psychological and emotional support and information for anyone affected by cancer.

April 1, 2009