Ep.40 A Hug in a Bag: Make a Difference in Your Local Area

With Lynne Shipton

Episode Description:

In this episode, Lynne Shipton, founder of the charity Chemogiftbags, shares her personal story of being diagnosed with breast cancer and how it led her to establish the charity.

Chemogiftbags provides comfort and support to individuals undergoing chemotherapy, by providing them with a free giftbag full of with items to help them through their treatment and make them smile.

Lynne also discusses the logistics of running the charity, shares valuable lessons applicable to business owners, and she highlights the significance of supporting local charities.

Lynne concludes the interview with an inspiring message about choosing to be someone’s reason for hope and the profound impact of small acts of kindness.

Chemogiftbags website: https://www.chemogiftbags.org/

Chemogiftbags Social Channels:

Buy tickets, or help sponsor, Chemogiftbags’ upcoming 10th anniversary gala event:

Saturday 4th October 2025

From 18:00

Sindlesham, RG41 5EA

Visit Event Landing Page

Listen to the episode

Download text transcript

Episode Time Codes

TIME CODES

00:00 Welcome to Lynne Shipton

00:41 Why Lynne setup Chemogiftbags

02:15 What Chemogiftbags offers people (bag contents)

04:05 Chemogiftbags are for men and women

05:01 How many people are served by Chemogiftbags

05:20 What are the logistics of running Chemogiftbags

07:53 The effort behind developing and maintaining connections in hospitals

09:20 Lessons Lynne’s learned since starting Chemogiftbags

10:20 What people say about the giftbags

13:03 Why Lynne decided to set Chemogiftbags up as a charity

14:55 How Lynne promotes Chemogiftbgs

16:24 Plans for Chemogiftbags going forwards

17:39 How can you help Chemogiftbags

18:49 Final thoughts

Videos

Logistics Behind Chemogiftbags

Promoting Chemogiftbags

Lynne's Lessons

Lynne's Closing Thoughts

Key takeaways

The Power of “Personal” Marketing & Connection: Lynne’s story highlights the importance of understanding your target audience deeply, creating a personal connection, and offering something unique that resonates with their needs.

Persistence and Creative Outreach: Lynne showcases the importance of persistence and thinking outside the box when promoting your cause or business. She actively seeks out opportunities, demonstrating that you need to be proactive and creative to cut through the noise.

Building Trust and Credibility: Lynne emphasises the importance of establishing credibility, especially when seeking support and funding. Becoming a registered charity was a key step for Chemogiftbags, as it provided assurance to donors and partners that the organisation was legitimate and trustworthy. This highlights the importance for businesses to build trust through transparency, professionalism, and demonstrating a commitment to their mission.