The Sara Lee Trust has been awarded National Lottery funding through the Big Lottery Fund, it has been revealed this week. A grant of £265,734 over five years was awarded for the Sara Lee Therapy Centre project which will part fund the delivery of the trust’s full range of support services, including counselling and therapy care in Sidley. As well as providing urgently needed additional capacity to meet local need, project funding will enable the trust to offer appointments in the evenings and at weekends where needed as well as throughout the week. Dan Redsull, trust CEO, said: “The overall aim of the trust is to improve the lives and wellbeing of people across Hastings and Rother who are living with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses, as well as their carers and loved ones. “National Lottery Funding will enable the trust to support many people locally who would not have otherwise been able to access our care through the provision of localised, flexible and patient-focused services. “We would like to thank all those who contributed to and supported our Big Lottery application. Project funding will ultimately help people enjoy a better quality of life and have improved wellbeing despite their illness, and have a positive impact on the wider community as a whole.” The new Sara Lee Therapy Centre will open to the public on Saturday July 15. Members of the trust’s service user group will open the centre at 11am and the centre will remain open for all to look around until 4pm. Tours of the facilities and refreshments will be available. The trust is mainly reliant on fundraising activity and trading operations to fund its services, which cost £220,000 a year. To support the work of the trust, call 01424 457969. Or if you would like to volunteer for Sara Lee, call 272358 (charity shops), or 457969 (fundraising).