A £20 Donation could provide an hour of massage, helping our patients to cope with stress and anxiety during cancer treatment.
This is Who We Are
The true secret of our success lies in the people behind the scenes. And with them, our culture.
When we opened our doors in 1998, we could only have dreamed what the Fountain Centre would become.
The Fountain Centre was established in 1998 by 3 social/healthcare professionals Charlotte McDowell, Nicky Bracey and Gail Maguire. In 2001, following a significant fundraising campaign led by Monica Rowland (now Simpson), who lost her husband to cancer two years prior, we became a registered charity. Monica continues to serve on our Board of Trustees.
Through further fundraising initiatives and the donation of space from Royal Surrey County Hospital, next to Oncology Outpatients, the Fountain Centre was fully equipped with three treatment rooms, a lounge area, two counselling rooms, a kitchen and an office.
In the first year of opening the centre had 150 visits per month and employed one full-time member of staff, with two working part-time and 25 volunteers. Owing to the huge success of the Fountain Centre and increasing demand for our services, in 2003 we obtained funding to provide the centre with a large Creative Arts room. Our service was widely appreciated and recognised as something special.
After a major fund-raising campaign led by Monica Rowland (now Simpson) who had lost her husband to cancer two years earlier (Monica is still on the Board of Trustees). In 2001 we became a registered charity. Through further fundraising initiatives and the donation of space from Royal Surrey County Hospital, next to Oncology Outpatients, the Fountain Centre was fully equipped with three treatment rooms, a lounge area, two counselling rooms, a kitchen and an office.
In the first year of opening the centre had 150 visits per month and employed one full-time member of staff, with two working part-time and 25 volunteers. Owing to the huge success of the Fountain Centre and increasing demand for our services, in 2003 we obtained funding to provide the centre with a large Creative Arts room. Our service was widely appreciated and recognised as something special.
In 2004 we received the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services in recognition of the important work our team of volunteers deliver every day.
Our garden, opened in 2006, alongside St Luke’s is a much-loved haven for patients, staff and visitors. The Fountain Centre has constantly grown and developed, and in 2012 we opened a further suite of therapy rooms on Level A in St Luke’s Cancer Centre, next to the Radiotherapy Department.
In recent years, we have extended our reach across Surrey, providing therapeutic services at Frimley Park Hospital and Ashford St Peters. We have also established a commercial service, which helps to fund the Fountain Centre.
We provide therapists to work in private hospitals in Guildford, Winchester, Windsor and Goring. The Fountain Centre has never discriminated against private patients.
There were two major innovations in 2017. Firstly, we established our Family Service, providing counselling and support for the families of newly-diagnosed cancer patients – about a quarter of new patients have school-aged children or younger. The service is unique, and demand for it has been huge. It goes from strength to strength thanks to a 5 year grant from the Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund.
And second, thanks to support from the MCKS Charitable Foundation UK, we have been able to employ a therapist for 20 hours a week to provide a ward-based service for those patients who are too ill to come to the Centre. This provides a continuity of service which would not otherwise be possible, and it has been welcomed by patients, their families and particularly by clinical staff.
There are now well over 100 volunteers, the majority of whom are qualified complementary therapists and counsellors.
Our team of administrative volunteers makes sure the Centre runs smoothly.
The team now manages over 2000 appointments per month. Volunteers form the core of the Fountain Centre’s existence and without their help the centre would be unable to operate. The team has grown, inevitably, and there are now 4 full-time staff and 8 working part-time.
Our team of experienced professionals will work closely with you, providing the support and expertise to deliver the best possible service.
Anne joined the Fountain Centre in 2011 as a Coordinator.
Anne now oversees the strategic development of the Fountain Centre working closely with the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre and other partners to develop the services in line with the national Cancer Care plan.
Anne PikeHead of The Fountain Centre
Dannielle is a qualified Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor and joined the Fountain Centre in 2014.
As well as managing the counselling volunteers and the day to day running of the psychological support service, she also works with adults and families of those affected by a cancer diagnosis. Dannielle's experience of working with children and young people also enables her to provide support to parents in how to have those difficult conversations with their children.
Dannielle FreethPsychological and Family Support Lead
Eileen joined the Fountain Centre in 2015.
Eileen manages the complementary therapy service and the team of volunteer therapists that enable us to deliver this service. She is a qualified coach and she is passionate about the empowerment of patients living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis.
Eileen GoldsackIntegrative And Coaching Lead
Susan joined the team in early 2015 to organise the Fountain Centre’s fundraising events.
Susan has many years of experience in the corporate event world organising all types of events for many diverse industries. The Fountain Centre puts on a number of different events every year from curry nights to dinners to concerts and Susan’s role includes the logistics and the publicity for our events.
Susan JordanIncome Generation Lead
Natalie Silverdale joined the team in 2015 to help develop and evaluate the services the Fountain Centre provides.
She has spent many years working within research and policy in cancer and end of life care. This includes running a national evaluation of the Marie Curie Nursing Service and palliative care services more generally; an evaluation of Open University’s Death and Dying Courses; and exploring the value of cancer counselling.
Natalie SilverdaleResearch And Development
Maria has worked within the NHS for 32 years. She joined the Fountain Centre in 2006 as our Administrator having worked for many years before as a Medical Secretary. In 2024 Maria took up the role Digital Marketing Manager and is passionate about ensuring our communications are not only effective but also authentic and impactful.
Maria WakefieldDigital Marketing Manager
Kas joined the Fountain Centre in January 2017 as a desk volunteer and joined the team in her new role in January 2019. Kas’s role is to go out into the local community and promote the charity ensuring everyone has heard about us whilst drumming up new support
Kas GirdlerCommunity Engagement Manager
Fi worked as a Therapy Radiographer for many years in Guildford. She then transitioned to a role in a school, where she provided emotional support to pupils. Additionally, she has experience working with an NHS service, offering counselling to teens and young adults. At the Fountain Centre, she serves as a counsellor and assistant to the Psychological Services Lead.
Fi CatchpolePsychological Support Service Assistant
Lynne joined the Fountain Centre in June 2023 as an Integrative Therapy Assistant. Lynne is a qualified nurse and has worked in various roles, most recently as Palliative Care Nurse. Lynne is also a reflexologist and Reiki Master.
Lynne GriffithsIntegrative Therapy Assistant
Frank (Haifeng ) has recently completed a Masters degree in health research in acupuncture for cancer care at the University of Stirling. With a strong Chinese background and education in the UK, he applies different approaches such as acupuncture (Five elements, Chinese classics & TCM), evidence-based acupuncture, acupuncture with massage and Chinese herbs used in conjunction with acupuncture. As the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself, but sometimes our environment, lifestyle, emotions or the food we eat cause imbalance or illness from which it cannot recover without help. By adjusting these factors, he will treat patients as individual cases and approach the best treatment plan for each individual patient
Frank HeAcupuncturist
Lorna has a background in nursing and running her own massage business.
I'm passionate about the benefits of massage and love to incorporate essential oils and soothing music to create ambience and some much needed 'me' time for the patient. It offers them a chance to forget about chemo, blood tests, nausea etc for a short while and feel 'normal'.
Lorna BaileyWard Therapist
Carey’s background includes 25+ years working with plants and people. She is a trauma informed clinical aromatherapist, meaning, she works in a research based/evidence backed process. Her role at the Fountain Centre began as a volunteer aromatherapist. Carey now works on the ward as a therapist supporting in-patients and describes working as part of a dynamic and integrative oncology team is ‘a privilege and honour’. Carey supports patients with aromatic medicine, tools and techniques for relaxing.
Carey KluckowWard Therapist
Coming Soon
Wendy WangAcupuncturist
Coming Soon
Debbie AlexanderAccountant
Our board of trustees help support and shape the strategic direction of the Fountain Centre
Nigel previously worked as a Senior Executive in the Energy Industry before becoming our new Chairman in June 2023.
Nigel has experience leading large high performing teams. He brings strong strategic, operational and commercial capability to the role with a background of balancing risk, resilience and reward.
He joins the Fountain Centre at a time when the charity is in a good position, and will be responsible for leading us forward into a challenging future.
Nigel Hobson Chairman
Martin has been a Trustee of the Fountain Centre since 2008. He has a strong belief in the contribution that Complementary and Holistic therapies can have in assisting in recovery from cancer, having suffered from Hodgkins Disease during the 1990s.
Having served with the Royal Marines, Martin established and ran his own international business in the provision of specialist security.
A strong family man, he lives in Milford with his wife Suzanne. His three children have now flown the nest.
Martin ReadTrustee
I joined the Board of the Fountain Centre as a Trustee in May 2021.
I am a medical microbiologist / molecular virologist with expertise in health and disease, infection control, molecular genetics and research. I have clinical expertise, gained from many years of active involvement in the NHS, research and biomedical research funding.
More recently, I have gained experience as a Trustee for a hospice and as an Executive Director for a national organisation.
Jan WhitbyTrustee
Matt is proud to have been a trustee for the Fountain Centre since September 2020.
In his professional life he is Chief Operating Officer at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, and prior to that was Associate Director of Operations for Access and Medicine at the same trust.
He is an experienced operational leader within the National Health Service.
Matt JarrattTrustee
Wyn became a trustee of the Fountain centre at the end of 2013. He has lived with his wife and sons in Fleet, NE Hampshire, for over 30 years and since retiring from the Civil Service in 2009 he has furthered his interests in health and wellbeing with his local CVS, Hart Voluntary Action, and with Walking for Health.
Having lost his father to cancer some years ago Wyn has been impressed by the range of services offered by the Centre and looks forward to helping it develop further.
Wyn Roberts Trustee
Diana Roberts has been a trustee since 2016.
Diana is semi retired, having worked for Guildford Borough Council for 16 years as Tourism Manager. Now working as a Consultant, and spending time with her two grandsons. Diana has lived in Guildford for over 30 years and has an extensive network of local businesses and enjoys putting people in touch with opportunities and each other for the greater good of the local community.
Her particular interests are marketing, social media and communication.
Diana RobertsTrustee
Vicki Mumford qualified as a Nurse in 1998 (BA HONS Oncology Nursing) and is currently Divisional Head of Nursing for the Oncology Division of the Royal Surrey County Hospital – she is equally involved in the standards of care of patients and the professional development of staff.
She says: ”I strive to develop a workforce that is motivated and has the correct skills to deliver high quality care and for this reason feel honoured to support the Fountain Centre as a Trustee.”
Vicki MumfordTrustee
Monica is a Founder Trustee who has been involved with the Fountain Centre from the start.
After the death of her husband, Peter Rowland, from cancer in 1994, she and a dedicated committee of ten raised £300,000 in two years to make the dream of a holistic centre within an NHS hospital a reality.
The Charity became ‘official’ in 2000 and since then Monica, formerly a PE teacher and air stewardess, has dedicated all her spare time to ensuring the Fountain Centre goes from strength to strength.
Monica SimpsonTrustee
Mark is a Councillor on both Farnham Town Council and Waverley Borough Council, where he is a member of the Borough Executive with responsibility for the Finance, Assets and Commercial Services portfolio. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales with over 25 years international professional and business experience.
In industry, Mark has worked at board level in the UK, USA, and PRC with publicly traded and private equity held corporations and their investors across a variety of sectors. He is a past-President of the Association of Chartered Accountants in the United States and in what's left of his spare time he remains a company director, academic mentor and charity trustee.
Mark MerryweatherTrustee
Douglas is a chartered accountant, having previously been involved in marketing for a major advertising agency.
He has over 30 years experience in venture capital, leading a team for a major investment bank in the UK, then as CEO for a fund manager, based in Warsaw for seven years, as part of the Polish mass privatisation programme.
Married with six boys, he has lived in the Grayswood area for most of his married life.
Douglas HudsonTrustee
A History of The Fountain Centre
1998
OPENS
The Centre opened its doors in September 1998 after a fundraising campaign which raised £300,000 in 18 months. With the help of over 100 volunteers, we are able to offer a selection of complementary and emotional support therapies to people living with a cancer diagnosis.
1998
2004
QUEENS AWARD
The Fountain Centre receives the Queens award for Voluntary Service.
2005
GARDEN DEVELOPMENT
The Fountain Centre receives a significant donation and approaches the Royal Surrey County Hospital to develop some waste ground at the side of St Luke’s Cancer Centre in to a therapy garden. They agree.
2005
2006
THERAPY GARDEN OPENS
The Fountain Centre officially opens its therapy garden. The garden is a quiet, restful space for patients and staff to take a break from the day. It is still thriving with hard work and dedication of 2 volunteer
2012
LEVEL A
In order to reach those patients coming for radiotherapy, the Fountain Centre starts building within the Radiotherapy department on Level A of St Luke’s Cancer Centre.
2012
2012
A QUIET SPACE
With 2 therapy rooms and a smaller seating area, the space is a lot more compact than the Fountain Centre on Level B. But it provides a quiet space for daily meditation and complementary therapies.
2017
BIG LOTTERY
The Fountain Centre receives £350,000 funding from the Big Lottery Fund to develop it’s Family and Children’s service
2017
2019
21st Anniversary
The Fountain Centre celebrates its 21st birthday.
2020
COVID
The world stopped but the need for our service didn’t. We developed our virtual and online presence to enable us to continue supporting and providing comfort to those who needed it.
2020
2023
25th Anniversary
In 2023 we celebrated 25 years as an independent charity supporting cancer patients and their families. When we opened our doors in 1998, we could only have dreamed what the Fountain Centre would become.