Speaker 1 (00:00.462)
Hello everyone and welcome to the My Local Marketer podcast. I'm Maria and today I'm speaking with the lovely Lynne Shipton, founder of the charity Kumo Gift Bags. Lynne, hello and welcome to the podcast. How are you?

Yeah, I'm good, thank you and thanks for having me on.

You're welcome. Well, it's been a little while since I met you and Steve at, what was it? Was it coffee number one we met at in Woodley?

Yeah, it's really nice and it's an easy place to sit down and have a chat and it was really nice to meet you as well.

Bosco's lounge is there isn't it?

Speaker 1 (00:34.722)
Well, that gave me an opportunity to find out a bit more about your wonderful charity that you set up called Chemo Gift Bags. So could you please just give an introduction to how you came to set up Chemo Gift Bags?

So in 2013, I breast cancer myself and I couldn't have chemo because of personal reasons, so I had to have radiotherapy. But in that time, I had 18 rounds of radiotherapy and I got to speak into lots of different people during my appointments who were going through chemotherapy and I saw the side effects of it all. So then once I'd had my surgery and my radiotherapy,

I started to look for ways that I could give back and because of this I did it for other charities. But then I thought there's something missing and people were saying to me, we don't really know what we need in our bag or whatever. They were coming out with all these different things because everyone needs something different. And it was like a list and this list started getting like a shopping list. And then from the shopping list, it came in a bag. So we just put all the world together and we got Kima gift bags.

That's how it started basically. At end of 2014 I started researching and by 2015, on the 1st of October 2015, we were live.

think that's really inspiring how obviously you went through this experience and then you obviously worked through other charities but then thought how you really wanted to make a difference and I know that chemo gift bags you're focused on the local area aren't you so you can really see a difference to the people in the local area that you're doing so I think that's really wonderful. What does chemo gift bags offer people that you support?

Speaker 2 (02:21.07)
So there's lots of things, if I can give you a rough size and then you'll get the how much it goes in there. So it's 18 inches high, it's 16 inches long and it's eighth depth. So it's quite a big bag. And you've actually seen the bags yourself, haven't you? Because we've actually one with us for you to have a look at. So inside there, we've got things as a puzzle book to keep people occupied because they could be in the chair or they could be on the bed having chemo.

and it takes a long time for it to go through. We've got our own Thinking of You card in there. There's also natural products. So there'll be body wash, a moisturiser, a lip balm, and a deodorant. So there are all our natural products, all inside a toiletry bag as well. And then there's also things in that toiletry bag, such as an anti-bag, which we've done right from the beginning. And we've also got natural nail varnishes. So we've got a base coat.

an oil or base coat and a black nail varnish. And the point of the black is it's not proven, but some people seem to think that it stops the light repelling, so it doesn't damage your nail beds. We've got heart-shaped cushion, which people love, and it also goes under your arm or under your bust. That can relieve some of the pressure from surgery. There's also a blanket in there as well, which can be fleece, can be quilted.

knitted or crocheted. got some beautiful crafts made for us. There's a water vessel of some description. What else is in there? probably a lot more that I can't remember at the moment.

I know you've got so many wonderful things in there. These bags are for men and women, aren't they? Because you gave me an inch. What was the statistic you gave me when we met up?

Speaker 2 (04:13.134)
can't really remember the proper statistic now. But if you go to NHS website, tells you on there, you know, the different statistics. Since 2015, we've only done three in that duration of time. There might be more, but you just don't get to know about them. I'm sure there is more, but in the Tens Valley, that's our, you know, location and our area. Then that's all we've had. That we're not getting to them and there's no support maybe for them.

or they don't know about it. And we actually spoke to someone the other day and we said, it's for men as well. And they said, I didn't know that men get breast cancer. You know, it's not as well publicized, but it's on our website. We've got a section about men's breast cancer on there as well.

is great that you serve then too and remind me how many people a month do you serve with the bags giving them out?

The most we've given out is 436 bags in one year. There's got to be more out there, unfortunately, that we could get to, but it's just about the awareness and getting people to know about us.

me to the logistics. I wanted to ask you about that because obviously 436 bags in one year, that is a lot. Not only to source the products but then to package them up, to store them somewhere, to deliver them because I know you've got some connections with hospitals. So what are the logistics involved in actually doing this and how have you managed to get those set up?

Speaker 2 (05:43.064)
So right from the beginning, if we talk about logistics of ordering the products, I do that. So that takes a long time because you can order them and obviously you've got to get for the best price, but also the best product for that price. And that can take a long time to do that. Eventually, when you've built that relationship up with that company, you know, we still have to pay for them. We don't get them for free. Then from when they get delivered, they can either be delivered to the registered charity place.

or where we have them, which is in the warehouse. Our products are stored or donated in the warehouse. And from there, we then pack them. We have a lovely little volunteer, and she's a WIS. She's so quick. I've been doing it a long, long time. Obviously, I can't do it as fast as I used to now. And she's just a WIS. She's just straight through them, knows what she's doing and gets on with it. That's the logistics of where they're stored.

from the hospitals that we know or people that request them or ambassadors. It can be from people that are searching on the web and chemo gift bags will come up and they'll ask for a bag. If they're having chemo and it's breast cancer in the Thames Valley, then we've never said no to anybody under those circumstances. And then what happens is they get a request, it comes through onto the website. I answer, personally answer every one of those that comes through.

if that's an individual request and then one of our ambassadors will go and arrange that for their next hospital appointment. We also take our chemo gift bags on bulk so then the hospitals can store them and then they give them out the first appointment and in that way we are making sure that they are who they say they are as well because they're going to the appointment and they're already in the hospital. And that's really how we've done it. We've done that from day one and it works for us.

There's also, Steve and I will take bags, we take them to the church hall and we do that and then we do another one as well in Oxford at the same time. So we maximise the amount we can take and minimise the amount of travel.

Speaker 1 (07:54.102)
And when we met, I find it really interesting what you're saying about the hospitals, because obviously you think, just give them to the hospitals, they can give them out. But obviously hospitals have so many departments and then people leave and people join. So it's so much effort on your part, isn't it, to find out who you need to speak to and to have these connections. And it's an ongoing thing. It's not as if it's a one and done, is it?

It is because as you've just said, and what happens is you lose that connection. So they might not even say to you that they're going to oncology department or whatever's in there. And then you turn up to do a delivery and, we don't know anything about it because they've obviously got their own work to do. And then they've forgotten to let the other people know that taking over that we deliver these bags or they can have the opportunity to give them to breast cancer patients.

So then we have to make the connection with those. Sometimes it doesn't work, you know, because people's opinions are different. So then you have to start right from the very beginning and introduce it all again. So it's always ongoing, but it's always interesting as well. You meet some lovely people and some of them follow you from hospital to hospital as well. Very rarely that I see the people now because I just couldn't do that for us. It's too big. So.

There's always a connection somewhere and there's always someone that'll say, do you remember? And I go, gosh, that was a long time ago. We usually get there in the end.

What have you learnt since you started in 2015? You must have picked up so many lessons and come across so many things that you didn't expect along the way. What have you learnt in the last 10 years?

Speaker 2 (09:33.824)
lots of things. I say one important lesson is never expect anything from anybody. And the people that say they're going to do it may never do it. So you've always got to expect the unexpected. And it's usually when you expect the unexpected that something comes out the blue and you go, that's why I do this. Someone will write a letter or an email privately or go on TrustPilot where KimmaGiftBags is.

and they can do a review and then they'll come back to me and say, I've done that review, Lynn, and you go and read it. it's just like, some of them just make you, you have tears in your eyes because they've gone through so much and they've taken the time to be able to write this, which means a lot to us.

What sort of things do people say about the gift bags then? What feedback have you got?

We've had lots of different things. Again, how big it was. Some of them don't know they're getting the bag until someone from a department will go down and give it to them on the day. They're just amazed by the thought that's gone into it. well, they are bespoke, the Arkema gift bags, because there's never two blankets or two cushions that are the same. So there's that to it as well. And it's a thought that's gone into it and the thought that crafters have done this for other people that are complete strangers.

They just say lots of different things and they're all nice things. We've had a couple where they're like, we didn't expect this and do you have to put this in on that? But that's people, isn't it? And that's walks of life. You're going to get that with everything. Not everyone is going to have the same opinions. And that's okay. We're just trying to spread a bit of love and a bit of hope and keep people's morale up.

Speaker 1 (11:18.318)
I love the way you describe them on your website as a hug in a bag. think that's a really lovely way to describe them.

Well, someone said when we first started and they were some of the closest people because they were the ones I communicated with to see what they use for chemo. What their words were and I will never forget it, they actually said that it's lovely for you to do this because it's personal to us. Every charity has its place, but for them, because we'd done it specifically for that person at that time and we tried to create them because it was always

This was when we first started out and tried to make it for them because I knew them. She said it's it's a hook in the bag and it's great. And they've also been called Mary Poppins because everything goes on and on forever out of the bags. So those are the two things we take. And I always tell a story, which is when we first started, we went to deliver a bag and this lady had no clue what was in it. It was her first day for the chemo. And I said to her, right, we're going to walk away now and we're going to leave you.

and she was like taking everything out and there was this blanket in there and I said to Steve, I said, right, just stop a minute, look back and just watch and see what her expressions are and this big bean came on her face. She took this blanket out, sniffed it and went, and I will never forget that and I've never forgotten her and she has never forgotten me and she said, what did I do? And I said, I'm never going to tell you because it'll never be the same again.

We still speak now and we're still friends.

Speaker 1 (12:56.076)
Knowing that you can have that impact or touch someone's life at the time when they need it most is really special. I wanted to ask you, in 2016, obviously, you went from starting 2015 to establishing it as a charity in 2016 the following year. Why did you decide to set it up as a charity?

Because people were obviously wanting them further afield, I needed to get donations in and products in. And I kept saying, no, I don't want to do it because it's too much trouble. As in, it was only me. And what happened was they kept saying, please, please, please. So I looked at it, researched it, acquired it to be a charity. And on the 7th of the 7th, 2016, we were then registered the charity.

And one of the ladies that happened to be a trustee at the time, I actually phoned her up and I said, do you know what this number is? And she said, no, I've got no idea. And I was like, 1168 095. And she went, oh my gosh, no. And I said, yes. I said, if I could jump, I would jump. And I never have forgotten that experience. There's so many different things that obviously.

like you when you go to meet people they stick in your mind for different reasons and it was just so that people knew you weren't a one what's the word wonder

I gave you

Speaker 2 (14:23.638)
the word, yeah, the credibility. And so we did it. And I've never looked back since. It's hard, very hard to get the funding. And we don't get the big amounts that people may think we've got no government funding, which people seem to think we have. But we've been very fortunate with the small ones, because they've understood us. And they've understood that it's not just a bag as some people thought it was right at the very beginning. You know, it's a bag with love in it.

said the pennies are tight so how do you promote chemo gift bags to make sure that people know about you when able to claim something when they're in their time of need?

So I look for things like, I saw you. And then I was cheekily asked, can we do this, please? So any way that I can promote it like that, Facebook, all the socials, LinkedIn, which I found you on Twitter, sorry, X, and Instagram, newspapers, and also we're on Reading Lights in the big screen that's outside Reading Station. Whatever I can. So my next task is to get us on a bus.

So that's my next one. I keep working on it bit by bit through the years but so if anyone's interested and they own a bus company please get in touch.

this persistence not only with just putting it out there but reaching out to people who you think could help and thinking about the different ways of distribution. I think that's really important for anyone who's looking to get a message out there because there's a lot of noise nowadays and you have to be able to really focus and cut through that.

Speaker 2 (15:59.106)
Yeah, you do. if we can think outside the box, because I've got some wacky ideas and people go, that won't work. And I go, you said that about chemo gift bags and look where we are today. Not just I told you so, but I'm not that kind of person. But just to prove to myself that it can be done. if it gets to one person from being on that bus, that's another person that we've hopefully helped.

So what are your plans for chemo gift bags going forwards? As you said, this is year 10, so congratulations on that. So how are you going to develop it going forwards?

So we've got lot of virtuals coming up as well, so people on virtuals can help. In June we're doing an afternoon tea, which can be virtual, and social, you know, it's a social gathering. It's all the way through June. That can be found on our website. And then we've got hashtag 10, chemo gift bags, both the spelling and the number, so we can find us like that. But I suppose the big one for us is our first Black Tie gala.

10th anniversary, why not do it on that day? 4th of October 2025, Sindalsham Court, RG41, 5EA, I know it off by heart. And it's going to be a great evening. We do need sponsors, so I'm going to take that opportunity while I've got it please, for people to get in contact with us. And it's about a celebration for those that are still here, but also to remember those that we've lost as well, and to raise money.

so that we can continue to do what we do.

Speaker 1 (17:37.454)
That's wonderful. So how can people help then if they can't say make it to the gala or anything? You've got a donate button on your website haven't you? So they can donate products I think but also money anything like that.

Yes, we've got QR code, we've got donation buckets in various places around the area, we've got them in lower early in the dry cleaners, we've got one in the chiropractors, different areas we've got things. And it's not just about a donation, it's all about sharing, you know, because it doesn't cost anything to share, and it doesn't cost anything to talk about it. And that's how people get to know about us as well.

It's nice when someone comes along and says, I've heard of you. And you go, where? We just had a donation the other day. I had no idea where they were. And it just came through. And I said, thank you so much. But they've obviously thought about this weeks and weeks ago. And then it just turns up. If anyone's looking for us to be charity of the year, that's another one they can do. So there's many ways. It just doesn't have to be money. It can be helping with their time.

spreading the word.

What would you like to leave our listeners with?

Speaker 2 (18:54.19)
So I'm going to read this if this is okay because my brain doesn't work all the time so excuse me. Cancer is a battle no one chooses and yet thousands face it every day. In that fight it's often the smallest gestures that make the biggest impact. Now imagine a stranger stepping in offering kindness in the form of a chemo gift bag filled with essentials and comfort reminding you that you are seen, you are valued.

you are not alone. That's what Keema Gift Bags does. So here's our thought for you. In a world where you can be anything, choose to be someone's reason of hope. Whether it's through a small act of kindness, a donation, or simply spreading the word, you have the power to change someone's journey. The question is, will you?

Lynne, that is beautiful. Thank you so much. Thank you for coming on the podcast. All the links will be on the episode landing page if anyone's interested and obviously go directly to chemogiftbags.org.

Yes, sorry, I'm welling up now.

I know, that's lovely. Well, I said thank you so much. This has been really amazing. I'm so pleased that you reached out and we connected and yeah, congratulations for all your hard

Speaker 2 (20:12.142)
Thank you for having me and thank you to everyone that hopefully will be listening.