The late Barry Owen, a leading light of Liverpool\u2019s property and commercial community for more than fifty years, is to have the garden in the grounds of the new Maggie\u2019s cancer centre in the city named in his honour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Friends of the much-loved businessman have launched an appeal to help fund the support services and therapy activities that will be delivered in the garden to people with cancer, as well as their families.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Owen, who died aged 82 in April, took great solace from the garden at his family home near Chester in the latter stages of his own cancer journey.<\/p>\n
Work on the new Maggie\u2019s centre, to be built at the junction of Prescot Street and Daulby Street in Liverpool, is set to begin in March next year.<\/p>\n
Barry\u2019s wife Susanne said:<\/strong> \u201cBarry took such great comfort from walking in our garden and sitting amidst the plants and flowers.\u00a0 He would be so pleased to think that others coping with the impact of cancer could do likewise, particularly in the city he loved so much,\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis will be a very special place that I\u2019m sure people will treasure,\u201d added Mrs Owen.<\/p>\n The new Maggie\u2019s will be the 29th\u00a0and the third funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation, with others on Wirral and in north Wales to have benefitted from the Redrow founder\u2019s personal charity.<\/p>\n Steve Morgan said:<\/strong> \u201cThe ethos of our Foundation is to \u2018give money away well,\u2019 and I\u2019m sure many will want to follow that principle, too, as they acknowledge Barry\u2019s great contribution to civic and business life.\u201d \u201cEvery penny will go towards helping people in the Liverpool area with their cancer journey \u2013 a tough road to travel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n A number of founding key donors, including Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, the Boodles Charitable Trust, Mason Owen, Jim Clarke and Andy and Patricia Pritchard, have already committed to support the appeal and now a JustGiving page has been launched to allow everyone who knew Barry to have the opportunity to back the project and leave a message.<\/p>\n Jim Davies, one of Mr Owen\u2019s closest friends and co-founder of international law firm DWF, said the turnout at Mr Owen\u2019s memorial service in May \u2018spoke volumes\u2019 of his impact not just on Liverpool\u2019s business community, but the wider UK property industry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was standing room only in the Anglican Cathedral and that says it all for me.\u00a0 Barry gave so much to his home city and with the help of his many friends and colleagues this garden and the care and services offered in it will be his last great gift.\u00a0 He was a remarkably generous man, and now he\u2019s asking us to help others,\u201d said Mr Davies.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new Maggie\u2019s will provide free practical, psychological and emotional support for people with cancer, as well as their families and friends.<\/p>\n Of the 2.8 million people in Merseyside and Cheshire, around 17,000 are diagnosed each year with cancer \u2013 higher than the England average.<\/p>\n The latest in the Maggie\u2019s network has been designed by HB Architects, who also designed the Wirral centre in the grounds of Clatterbridge hospital.<\/p>\n Those wishing to donate can go to\u00a0the JustGiving page.<\/a> Find out what\u2019s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North \u2013 visit\u00a0thenorthernguide.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram\u00a0HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nGet the latest updates from around the Liverpool City Region here.<\/a><\/p>\n