Cork cancer transport charity sees 70% demand increase amid fuel cost surge

The charity’s costs will rise by €10,000 per year if the situation remains the same

Helen O’ Driscoll, CEO of Cancer Connect with Harry Canning, CEO of Bon Secours Hospital Cork. Since its inception in 2011, the charity has grown to include nine vehicles and more than 300 volunteers. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

A charity that transports cancer patients who travel for hours for chemotherapy is facing a 70% rise in demand for its services as the fuel crisis intensifies nationally.

Helen O’Driscoll, the manager of West Cork-based Cancer Connect, said she was startled to discover they had completed 1,186 journeys in the last five weeks in comparison to 670 journeys during the same period last year.