The Bury Cancer Support Centre Christmas fair is returning this weekend after three years of not going ahead due to the pandemic.

The self-funded charity relies heavily on fundraising events as they don’t receive funding from the central or local governments.

The past few years have been challenging for the independent charity due to having to cut back on fundraising opportunities.

Centre manager Jan Katana said: “Our fundraising opportunities have been greatly affected by covid over the past few years, so it has significantly impacted on our fundraising.

“We’re going to have this Christmas fair and we’re doing it over the Saturday, 3 December and Sunday, 4 December 10am – 3pm and there will be an outdoor café, face painting and cake stalls.

“We’re also doing ‘fill a bag for a fiver’ which is pre-loved clothes that are in good condition, hand and arm massages and the usual things like raffles, tombola, bric-a-brac, we’ll have our little shop open too and a Christmas gift shop.

“All the usual suspects really at a Christmas fair.

“It’s about raising our profile and letting people know we are still here after a very difficult few years as a small independent charity.”

The charity normally does lots of fundraising events over the year as they are a self-funded charity, so they have to.

The Christmas fair would be one of many fundraising events over the year.

Jan added: “Obviously the fair being held here in the centre, we’ve had to take many precautions over the years due to the vulnerability of our patients.

“We would normally have a Christmas fair but we’ve not for the past three years.

“It'll be a big celebration that we’re actually managing to do it this year.”

There’s free car parking at the barracks adjacent to the centre on Bolton Road and its free entry to the event.

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