A South London cancer support worker has been awarded a top honour by the BBC.
Estelle Le Galliot, the Macmillan Health & Wellbeing Coordinator at Tooting’s St George’s Hospital, has been recognised at this year’s BBC Radio London ‘Make a Difference’ Awards, for her outstanding work supporting cancer patients throughout the pandemic.
Winning in the ‘Key Worker’ category, Estelle was chosen from hundreds of nominations thanks to her “whatever it takes” attitude and determination to be there for local cancer patients, their carers and loved ones, despite the numerous challenges posed by Covid.
When the St George’s Macmillan Centre had to close its doors in March 2020, Estelle leapt into action; coming up with a multitude of innovative ways to ensure South Londoners could continue to access vital cancer support. From launching a YouTube channel to interactive information posters, online laughing yoga sessions to chemotherapy ‘comfort kits’, Estelle went above and beyond in every sense.
Estelle Le Galliot on winning her BBC Make a Difference award:
“It was such a humbling experience to be recognised. I am so grateful to all the colleagues and friends who supported me and helped so wholeheartedly, at a time when we were all challenged in many different ways.
“I feel very privileged to be able to go the extra mile to support our cancer patients and their loved ones at the most difficult time of their lives.”
Janice Minter, St George’s Assistant Chief Nurse, attended the event with Estelle, she shared:
“Estelle is a pleasure to work with and her passion to improve the experience of those effected by cancer is inspirational.
“It is fabulous that her hard work has been recognised in such an immense way, particularly the amazing work she did during the pandemic ensuring all our patients had access to support in different ways that suited them”.
The awards ceremony, hosted by BBC Radio London presenters Gaby Roslin and Eddie Nestor MBE, was held at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s on Wednesday 28th September. Estelle was presented her award by much-loved author and broadcaster Michael Rosen.
The BBC Make a Difference Awards were created to recognise remarkable people across the country; marking their achievements and the contribution they make to their community.
Chris Burns, Head of Audio and Digital for BBC England, said:
“We are delighted to announce the winners of these wonderful awards, which celebrate those individuals who have gone above and beyond, what most of us expect from people. In a world where the news can often be quite bleak, it is a way of showing off the best of people. We have really enjoyed hearing their stories and sharing them with our listeners.”
To find out more about the awards visit: bbc.co.uk/makeadifference
