It might look like a coffee shop, but the Maggie's Centre in the grounds of the Freeman Hospita l is a lifesaver for cancer patients across the North East and their families.
But on World Cancer Day, centre manager - senior nurse Karen Verrill - has told ChronicleLive how she's worried by "many, many people" who are coming forward for cancer treatment much later than they would have been before the pandemic.
Karen also said she was concerned by the "huge distress" Covid-19 had caused people already suffering with cancer - who of course are among the most vulnerable in society.
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The centre has remained open throughout the Covid-19 crisis. Karen said: "The pandemic has been extremely difficult, but hopefully having this place here and open has helped people.
"We have seen lots of people who might have not come forward before with symptoms - maybe they were frightened of being around hospitals or unable to get the right appointments.
"We have had many people coming in for the first time with their cancer further on. There's no doubt the pandemic has had a huge impact on people with cancer. Of course it's been horrific for those with Covid, but there's also been such distressed caused by it for those with cancer.
"But the NHS is here - and they're are working full-on. And we're here too. If anyone has any worries at all related to cancer, don't be put off coming forward. Far better that than it being too late. Give us a ring, walk in asking for advice, we can do that."
Karen encouraged anyone - whether you're going through cancer treatment, worried about early symptoms or the family and friends of someone with cancer - to take advantage of the services Maggie's offers.
"We're here for anybody who walks in. We pick them up first and assess their needs. Then we put together a package of care," she said.
"The centre is a haven for people. Even if it's just a place to pop in while they wait for an appointment. Sometimes they walk in not knowing they need support. They walk into the centre - a beautiful non-clinical environment, and suddenly they realise they need help."
The team at Maggie's can offer practical life advice, help people with their finances and to see if they're eligible for any benefits, and also with the unexpected realities cancer sometimes throws at people.
Karen said it was especially important to be there for people after treatment finishes.
She said: "We often get people who come in and think when their treatment is finished they'll be back to normal. But often they can be overwhelmed by what they have gone through and that's when they might need more support.
"But lots of what we do is to help people with unexpected aspects of their diagnoses.
"Sometimes if they're having a particular medical issue we can contact their team at the hospital, that's where the expertise of the nurses comes in. We are oncology nurses and we're primed to look for any of the danger signs
"We get families coming in, and it's as if they're all coping. They're all often putting on a front for one another - and really they might all be struggling."
Karen said she wanted to make sure that people realised that "just turning up" at Maggie's was fine, and added: "Sometimes people come in thinking it's a coffee shop. You can have a coffee but it's also a cancer support centre - and then we're able to talk to them more about what they might be going through.
"But still not everybody finds out about the place as early as we would like them to! The earlier the better."
February 4 is World Cancer Day. For more information, support and guidance, visit worldcancerday.org. To learn about Maggie's, see maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-newcastle/
