A NEW service offering free, relaxing massage to cancer patients is being jointly launched by The Coniston Hotel, Airedale Hospital and the cancer charity, Hope for Tomorrow.

The service, which be officially launched at the hotel and spa at Coniston Cold on Monday, September 2, will see specialist trained spa therapists offering complimentary massage to patients receiving treatment at Airedale Hospital’s cancer unit (HODU), funded by Hope for Tomorrow, and at the Mobile Cancer Care Unit (MCCU).

Spa therapists from the hotel will be providing those at the launch with a taster of the types of massages they will be offering to patients as part of the new service, including hand and arm massages and neck and shoulder massages.

Beginning in October, the service will take place once a month, alternating between HODU at Airedale Hospital, Steeton, and the MCCU. Therapists will spend two hours in the afternoons at the units, giving free, 30 minute massages to patients.

Nick Bannister, managing director of the Coniston Hotel, Country Estate and Spa, said the hotel’s spa therapists were specially trained in oncology massages.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Airedale Hospital and through our attendance at their staff open days we began discussing the opportunity to offer their cancer patients a free massage service as we were looking into training our spa therapists in specialist oncology massages,” he said.

“Our spa therapist are now trained in Jennifer Young, a British brand which has developed a range of specialised oncology massages and beauty treatments, so that we can confidently offer a range of treatments to those affected by cancer at The Coniston Spa.”

He added: “We are absolutely delighted to be launching this new spa service with Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and cancer charity, Hope for Tomorrow. It has always been part of The Coniston’s values to give back to the community and we hope that our service will make patients feel relaxed as they enjoy a massage and time to chat with our spa therapists.”

Patricia Dyminski, lead clinical nurse specialist for Haematology, Oncology and Chemotherapy at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said she hoped many cancer patients would benefit from the new service.

She said: “We are so excited to join forces with The Coniston Hotel and Hope for Tomorrow to offer this great service to some of our patients.

“Sometimes patients undergoing cancer treatment can miss out on certain things in life, but this initiative will allow them to enjoy a gentle massage which is a great way to relax and unwind. It will make a real difference to our patients and we hope that as many of them as possible are able to benefit from it.”