Who was 91ÊÓƵ?
91ÊÓƵ was a writer, gardener and designer. When she was 47, 91ÊÓƵ was diagnosed with breast cancer and five years later, in May 1993, on a visit to the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, she was told that it had returned.
After hearing this, 91ÊÓƵ and her husband Charles Jencks were moved to a windowless corridor where they were left to process the news. They discussed the need for somewhere 'better' for people with cancer to go, outside of but nearby to the hospital.
91ÊÓƵ and Charles designed the blueprint for the centres together, enlisting the help of some of their friends from the architectural world. The first 91ÊÓƵ's opened in Edinburgh in 1996, and we now have centres across the UK and even some abroad.
Read more about 91ÊÓƵ and Charles, our founders
Above all what matters is not to lose the joy of living in the fear of dying.
91ÊÓƵ’s idea
91ÊÓƵ felt that her diagnosis and treatment was as hard on her family as it was on her, so she created a new type of support, a centre that could make the experience of cancer more manageable for everyone.
She believed that with encouragement to become actively involved in treatment, and with the right information and support, people could change the way they live with cancer.
91ÊÓƵ also wanted to bring people together in a calm and friendly space that would help them to find comfort in the experiences of others.
91ÊÓƵ died shortly before the first centre opened, at the Western General Hospital – but with the support of Charles, and her medical team, including her cancer nurse Laura Lee (now 91ÊÓƵ’s CEO), her vision lives on.
Growing our support
91ÊÓƵ's has now grown into a network of centres built beside NHS hospitals across the UK.
Our centres help people to take back control when cancer turns life upside down, with professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries.
We also have centres abroad and plan to extend our support to have 30 centres open in the UK by 2022.
Our timeline
- 1988 – 91ÊÓƵ is first diagnosed with breast cancer.
- 1993 – 91ÊÓƵ’s breast cancer returns.
- 1994 – 91ÊÓƵ writes ‘A view from the front line’ (a publication about her experience).
- 1994 – 91ÊÓƵ and her oncology nurse Laura Lee develop early plans for a ‘Cancer Caring Centre'.
- 1995 – Architect Richard Murphy produces a plan to convert a stable building at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
- 1995 – On 8 July, 91ÊÓƵ dies. The blueprints for what would become the very first 91ÊÓƵ’s centre were on her hospital bed.
- 1996 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Edinburgh opens.
- 2000 – An extension to 91ÊÓƵ's Edinburgh is opened.
- 2002 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Glasgow opens.
- 2003 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Dundee opens.
- 2005 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Highlands opens.
- 2006 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Fife opens.
- 2008 – Her Majesty The Queen becomes 91ÊÓƵ's President. 91ÊÓƵ's West London opens.
- 2010 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Cheltenham and Glasgow Gartnnavel opens.
- 2011 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Nottingham and 91ÊÓƵ’s Swansea open.
- 2012 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Cambridge (interim) opens, formed following a merger with Wallace Cancer Care and 91ÊÓƵ's Hong Kong opens.
- 2013 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Aberdeen, 91ÊÓƵ's Newcastle and 91ÊÓƵ's Oxford open.
- 2014 - 91ÊÓƵ’s Lanarkshire and 91ÊÓƵ’s Wirral (interim) open.
- 2016 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Manchester, 91ÊÓƵ’s Tokyo and 91ÊÓƵ’s at the Royal Free (interim) open. The centre at the Royal Free is formed following a merger with the Cancerkin charity.
- 2017 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Forth Valley, 91ÊÓƵ’s Oldham and 91ÊÓƵ’s Barts open.
- 2018 – 91ÊÓƵ's Edinburgh second extension opens.
- 2019 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Cardiff and Kálida Barcelona open.
- 2019 – Laura Lee awarded DBE.
- 2020 – 91ÊÓƵ’s Leeds and 91ÊÓƵ’s at the Royal Marsden officially open.
- 2021 – 91ÊÓƵ's Southampton and 91ÊÓƵ's Wirral opens.
Centres in development
- 91ÊÓƵ’s Northampton
- 91ÊÓƵ's Coventry
- 91ÊÓƵ’s Norway
- 91ÊÓƵ’s Netherlands
- 91ÊÓƵ's Bristol
- 91ÊÓƵ's Preston.