New manager on board at Maggie’s Fife

Adam Kent took up the role last month following the departure of Tu Edwards who left in May after a decade at the heart of the centre.

Originally from Edinburgh, Adam has been with the charity for the past three years working at Maggie’s Edinburgh.

He initially started off working as centre fundraising organiser before being promoted to centre fundraiser.

Adam told The Press his links with the charity go back 10 years: “Ten years ago, in my mid 20s, I needed a challenge in my life so I randomly decided I was going to cycle across America,” he said.

“But I didn’t have any cycling experience – I didn’t even own a bike! But somehow I managed to convince three of my friends, who also had no cycling experience, that they should do it too.

“Over a year of preparation we managed to pull it altogether but we thought well if we are going to do such a big challenge, we should raise some money for charity.”

Adam shortlisted ten charities and Maggie’s was on the list. He wrote to them all asking for advice and support about fundraising and Maggie’s was one of only two which responded. He got an email from the fundraising manager at Maggie’s Edinburgh who invited him to the centre to show him the work they do.

He said: “I hadn’t heard of Maggie’s but I couldn’t have been more blown away the second we went through the door. It was such a beautiful building and we were blown away by the welcome we got. We spent an hour there chatting and it really was such a special place.

“We knew it was absolutely the right cause for us to support.”

In 2011 Adam and his friends cycled from Santa Monica Pier to the Brooklyn Bridge, raising £15,000 for Maggie’s Edinburgh, in the adventure of a lifetime.

But sadly only a year or so after they completed the cycle, Adam’s best friend, who had taken part, was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Adam said it came as a shock: “Andy was by far the fittest, most dedicated member of the team, but he had been experiencing some pain in his right thigh. After some trips to physiotherapists and his GP, it was picked up he had Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. He was 28 at the time. “Suddenly cancer became very real to us.”

Adam began using Maggie’s himself for support to help him deal with his emotions as a result of what his best friend was going through. Sadly though, Andy passed away a few years later in July 2014.

Then in 2017 an opportunity came up to work in Maggie’s Edinburgh and Adam decided to wanted to use his experience to help other people, so he went for it. He said: “I was very lucky to be part of a successful team.”

And last month the chance to be fundraising manager at Maggie’s Fife became available and Adam was appointed to the role. He said: “It was a natural progression to take but it was also a great opportunity to experience a different centre in a different location with a wonderful team who do an amazing job of supporting people in the community.

“They were very welcoming on my first day and made me feel at home straight away.”

Adam is aware of the amazing things centre users have been doing to fundraise for Maggie’s Fife, particularly the long standing events which have been organised since it opened like the Gillian Parsons Memorial Golf Day and the Twilight Walk, both of which have been cancelled this year.

Adam added: “It is exciting for me to meet the supporters, get involved in these successful events and help build on them as we get back to some sort of normality.

“The centre is an important community resource and it’s important that we continue to support it, especially in these difficult times.”