A CANCER support service manager who lost two close relatives to the disease is urging people to support Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday.

Annmarie Galbraith is a Macmillan Services Manager in Glasgow, responsible for the volunteer-led programme which provides information for patients and their families.

Her role in supporting relatives came into sharp focus for Annmarie recently, when her own family was touched by cancer.

“An important aspect of my role is doing the best for people that are accessing Macmillan services, including the families and carers of those living with cancer,” she explained.

“This job really struck a chord with me when my aunt passed way from breast cancer and, more recently, when my mum’s partner died from prostate cancer.

“It is really important to me to be part of a programme that helps family members as well as the patients, because a cancer diagnosis has an impact on the whole family.”

Annmarie added: “It’s so important the public know that our services aren’t just for the patients.”

Since 2010, M&S Food has raised more than £16.3 million as official partner to Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning.

All M&S donations go towards funding Macmillan professionals - like Annmarie - who support the growing number of people living with cancer to live life as fully as they can.

In Scotland alone, around 32,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed each year; more than 186,000 people are estimated to be living with a cancer diagnosis; and on average almost 16,000 people die of cancer each year.

In the last year alone, M&S Food raised almost £3 million, enough to fund 55 Macmillan professionals for a year. An incredible £2 million came from the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in-store events.

Read more: Rod Stewart reveals he had prostate cancer

Annmarie, who joined the charity six years ago, added: “I have always had a passion for working in health and social care so a Macmillan-funded programme seemed like the perfect fit for me.

“At the age of 19, I began volunteering on a helpline and over the years, have worked to help different causes such as homelessness, social care, addictions and mental health.”

She said: “I’ve never had a day where I wake up and don’t want to go to work. We have so much support and great opportunities to learn, develop and network with other services, it is fantastic. In Glasgow, we are really lucky to have a great network of services but we are also able to work in partnership – it’s definitely grown for the better. I love receiving feedback from our volunteers, who say they are really enjoying the role, and from our service users who truly benefit from having a listening ear and emotional support available to them in their local community.

Read more: Gran is 'luckiest woman in the world' after cancer trial

“It’s fulfilling to be able to be there for somebody when they need support. It’s just so essential that everybody has somebody to talk to, even just to say ‘I’m having a bad day’.”

Macmillan @ Glasgow Libraries provides a welcoming space access emotional support, a listening ear and reliable cancer information. The trained volunteers are also able to support getting to access other relevant services including benefits support, counselling and complementary therapies provided in partnership with Cancer Support Scotland.

Find out more at www.glasgowlife.org.uk/macmillan