AN urgent appeal has been made to help secure a new premises for West Cork’s Arc House, which is a safe and confidential space for cancer patients and their families to go to when they need support on their cancer journey.
Cork Arc was established in the city in 2001, and opened in Goureebeg, Bantry in 2015, bringing much-needed services to the region, according to its ceo Stephen Teap. Since then the charity has operated from a rented property known as ‘The Bungalow’.
Stephen said they were very fortunate to be able to grow the service from this base, but they need to vacate the house in the coming months and he has issued a heartfelt appeal to the people of West Cork to help them find a permanent home as demand for their services is growing all the time.
In 2024, they supported 315 people in West Cork whose lives were affected by cancer, and the final numbers for 2025 are expected to exceed this.
Gráinne Prendergast, manager of the Arc centre in Bantry, said that they were seeing an increasing need for child and adolescent services, which are currently being outsourced.
The facility aims to provide them in-house in the future.
Further evidence of the demand for what they do is clear from a survey they conducted of the 101 people in 2024 who availed of a community Physical Activity Programme run by Amy Walsh, cancer rehabilitation physiotherapist.
Stephen Teap with his late wife Irene and their two sons.
‘100% of those would not have travelled to Cork for support.
This is reflective of the vast majority of those who use our services. Some of those who use the services here receive specialist treatment in Dublin, often far removed from the support available in centres of excellence.
Cork Arc helps them feel supported within their own community, understanding the challenges of travel, cost, and time involved in accessing treatment far from home,’ saidGráinne.
Here’s how one service user put it: ‘It’s difficult enough to travel to Cork for medical appointments without the added stress of more travel to access other vital support services that can help us and our families to cope with all that a cancer diagnosis brings.’
‘No matter what stage of the cancer journey you are on, our message is simple: “you are not alone”,’ said Gráinne.
‘The people of West Cork, Beara and Mizen peninsulas and the islands travel long distances for cancer treatment, so it’s vital they have the support services, that they and their families need locally that they can access easily and quickly,’ she said.
A user summed the space up perfectly when she said: ‘The minute I walked in the door of Cork Arc Bantry, I felt a peace come over me, the house gave me a place where I could feel supported and safe.’
Stephen became ceo of Cork Arc last August and his life experiences have given him a unique perspective for the role.
His wife Irene died from cervical cancer in 2017 at the age of 35, having gotten false negative test results in 2010 and 2013.
This July marks her eighth anniversary and, as always, Stephen and their sons Oscar (12) and Noah (9) will spend it in Allihies, a place close to her heart, and where her grandmother was
from.
‘Our house was touched so deeply by cancer, and through my involvement in the cervical cancer debacle I developed relationships with the health care system. I took four years off to be a full-time parent to our two sons, and when it came to rejoining the workforce I felt it would be a shame to give up those relationships. Also, I wasn’t sure what exactly would motivate me in the corporate world when, for me, it’s not about money but about change; that’s where my heart is,’ he said, explaining why he took on the role.
He’s now committed to finding Arc a new home in West Cork but he said the ‘clock is ticking’.
‘We are well established in West Cork, providing vital support to people with a cancer diagnosis and their families, but have now reached a critical point as we must vacate our current premises by January 2026,’ he said. Ideally he’d like to remain in Bantry but says they ‘can’t afford to be fussy’.
‘We will look at all options, but it’s my ambition to find a permanent home. This is a genuine plea from us to the community,’ he said.
The service operates inhouse appointments, as well as remote services Monday to Friday.
The support and generosity of the community and volunteers help Cork Arc deliver a diverse range of services free of charge including counselling, oncology nurse support, bereavement information, an online ‘thrive and survive’ survivorship programme and specialised breast cancer services.
