Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support March 2024 March has been an incredibly busy month here…
Newsletter No.46 – June 2022
#rebellioushope
Below is the message put out on social media on 28th June. I was lucky enough to meet Deborah in 2018 and 2019 at Trewfields Festival and she was inspirational in her passion for raising awareness .
We are all deeply saddened to hear the news about Dame Deborah James; the most amazing wife, daughter, sister, mummy. Deborah passed away peacefully today, surrounded by her family.
Deborah, who many of you will know as Bowelbabe, was an inspiration and we are incredibly proud of her and her work and commitment to charitable campaigning, fundraising and her endless efforts to raise awareness of cancer that touched so many lives.
Deborah shared her experience with the world to raise awareness, break down barriers, challenge taboos and change the conversation around cancer. Even in her most challenging moments, her determination to raise money and awareness was inspiring.
We thank you for giving us time in private as a family, and we look forward to continuing Deborah’s legacy long into the future through the @bowelbabefund
Thank you for playing your part in her journey, you are all incredible.
And a few final things from Deborah…“find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life.” x
We are looking forward to welcoming you all to our family open day, we will be showcasing what we have been doing in the last year and sharing our plans for the future.
There will be refreshments in a relaxed informal environment . If you are able to come along please let us know.
In this edition
- Welcome
- Thankyou
- Charity Paddle
- Acupuncture Clinic
- Meet the Therapist
- Active Treatment Drop-in
- Nordic Walking
- Creative Writing
- Drop in Sessions for July
- Poem
- Recommended Website
- Neuroplasticity
- Bereavement
- Online Shop
- Ways to support and connect with ALCS
- Dates for your diary and future events
- Beach Hut
ALCS-Event Co-Ordinators and Grant Co-Ordinator
I am delighted to say we have appointed three new members to the team, welcome to Ady Henderson and Hayley De Beers to help with events and Kate Vernon working as grant co-ordinator
The three of them come with fantastic energy, commitment to support ALCS, and experience in various roles ,all of which will help enormously with the future of ALCS.
Uplyme Village Fete – 11th June 2022.
Thank you to those who who volunteered and donated items for this event.
It was lovely to see many clients and meeting new ones. We raised £124.30 selling books, cards, postcard, keyrings, plants and handmade items.
We will also be at Uplyme Summer Show on 9th July
Axe Vale Show – 18/19th June 2022.
Thank you to those who who volunteered and stopped by our stall. We were raising sun awareness and giving out water in a box to customers. We sold cards, fudge, lavender bags and the chance to win a day at the beach hut.
We raised £926.01 which goes directly to supporting our clients. We are particularly grateful to Axminster Garden Machinery (A.G.M.) for their very generous donation) The new ALCS sun awareness banners looked great and we will also be raising awareness from the ALCS beach hut on August 21st between 9am-6pm with free organic sun cream samples.
The Cherry Fayre Axminster Market
On Thursday 23rd June we attended the Axminster Market and raised £95.77 – thank you to those who stopped by and chatted, donated or purchased items from our stall. Also thank you to the volunteers who helped.
Charity Paddle – Langport
Saturday 8th July 10.30am a paddle boarding event is taking place to raise money for Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support.
A message from Chena.
I am paddle from Langport to Muchelney Bridge for a picnic then back again for a well-earned drink.
Fancy dress is optional but I kindly ask for a £15 donation.
For more information or to book your place please contact Chena on 07984199106
To sponsor those taking part please click the below link
https://localgiving.org/fundraising/charity-paddle/
Acupuncture Clinic
Weekly acupuncture clinic on Monday’s 4.00 – 5.30pm at Scott Rowe Room within Axminster Hospital.. This will be a group session and involve auricular acupuncture (around the outer ear). Hilary Sharp will be providing the acupuncture. https://www.hilarysharp.co.uk/
Particular benefits include helping to alleviate hot flushes, anxiety, dry mouth, and fatigue. Further information can be obtained from Hilary.
This support will be offered free of charge to registered clients. We do have have a max of 15 at each session which must be booked in advance. Please bring your own water. (Drinks will not be able to be supplied) Do contact us to be added to a waiting list should the online booking system show full.
4th July
11th July
18th July
25th July
1st August
Please click here to book
Meet the Therapist – Jenny Chesher (MBACP) – Equine-assisted Therapy
Jenny is a qualified counsellor who is also a trained equine-assisted psychotherapy and learning practitioner. She offers equine-assisted therapy on her idyllic smallholding in the Somerset countryside, integrating the healing power of animals with her professional counselling skills.
Equine-assisted therapy can be a powerful form of support for people who are experiencing stress or struggling with their emotional or mental health. Horses have a similar emotional system to humans and respond positively to people who are authentic in their thoughts and feelings. They can be soothing when clients are distressed or anxious and energising for clients who are feeling depressed or de-motivated.
Jenny says “in my therapy I facilitate my horses’ remarkable ability to connect with, and gently reflect back, underlying – and sometimes painful – feelings. This experiential form of therapy allows clients to acknowledge and process distressing experiences and uncomfortable emotions in a non-verbal and unconfrontational way”.
This therapy programme has been developed with funding from Macmillan Cancer specifically to support people who are coping with the emotional impact of a diagnosis of cancer. It is suitable for people who are seeking support at different stages of their condition and treatment up to 5 years after diagnosis.
No prior horse experience is required and all activities take place on the ground and can generally be adapted to clients’ physical capabilities. The therapy programme offers 4 sessions, lasting between 60-90 minutes, normally on a fortnightly basis.
For more information see Jenny’s web-site: www.equilibriumtherapy.net
Or e-mail Jenny at: jenny@equilibriumtherapy.net
Active Treatment Drop-in Sessions
We are going to hold a drop-in session for those about to start treatment, going through treatment or finished within the last 6 months. These will be run by Mary and Isabel to help support those going through cancer and make connections.
Monday 11th July – Axminster Hospital Scott Rowe 12.30-1.30pm With Sue Urquhart.
Monday 1st August – Axminster Hospital Scott Rowe 12.30-1.30pm With Hannah Lovegrove
If you would like to join us for a cuppa and a chat do please drop by.
An introduction to Nordic Walking 18th August 11am-4pm
With Lindsay Shadrach http://www.eastdevonhealthandfitness.co.uk/about/
Would you like to learn how to Nordic Walk with a view of then being able to access regular local walks?
This day will be a chance to learn the principles and techniques for you to be able to get the most out of this style of walking.
Nordic Walking has been shown to be a supporting way of exercising with many health benefits http://www.eastdevonhealthandfitness.co.uk/services/nordic-walking/
If you are interested in attending all costs will be covered by ALCS and we will have poles available for you to use.
There are limited spaces so please let Mary know asap if you would like a place.
Creative Writing.
We would like to invite you to a face to face event to introduce our Creative Writing .This will be an opportunity to meet Ninette Hartley who has been running the online courses over the last couple of eyars.
Also a chance to hear about what the 6 week course will be covering, and you can sign up to the course then.
An Introduction to creative Wirting -Wednesday 14th Septebmer 11am-12noon (venue to be confirmed)
Then on zoom 11am-12.30pm
Week 1 21st September
Week 2 28th September
Week 3 12th October
Week 4 19th October
Week 5 26th October
Week 6 2nd November
Face to face 11am-1pm November 9th a final get together.
Drop-in sessions for JULY
Monday 4th – Lyme Regis Football Club 2-4pm
Monday 11th July – Axminster Hospital Scott Rowe 2-4pm with Sue Urqhart
Monday 18th July – Lyme Regis Football Club 2-4pm
Monday 25th July – Uplyme Village Hall 10.30-2.30pm FAMILY OPEN DAY
Time for Me – Nigel Ball
As life passes us by our busy lives,
we sometimes need not just time for ourselves but time to reflect, Just Stop.
Listen, take breath, enjoy a quiet moment and moment’s.
I wrote this poem or ditty while sitting in my garden.
Feeling heat on my skin, noise of diggers, buzzers going off.
Seagulls squawking, birds twittering, shadow’s from garden chairs.
Alliums in abundance, with all our favourite roses. Now to introduce – Time for me.
Does it matter of noise around me, feet firmly on the ground
I am in my moment, of hearing many sounds
Arm out stretched upon a wooden table
The pencil in other hand,moving, write, I am able.
The feeling of having time for me, getting off the merry-go-round of life
After all the operations, treatments for my wife
Never really giving it a thought, time for me
I have just been too busy, just stopping for cups of tea.
Now I just stop, seated on a chair
To have a moment, time for me, remind that I care
I care for me, look after me, I also have to repair
After trauma, operations, by your side, I was standing there.
Learning quiet moments just let go, just stop
You also have been through an awful lot
Time for me has taught me, be in the moment just listen
You need to look after yourself, glisten.
So when you have read this ditty or poem if you wish
Stop what you are doing sit and do nothing for a while
Let your body rest ,close your eyes, wake later with smile
I have had time for me, how good was that I ask?
Feels peaceful, quiet, relaxing. I can face another task.
Recommended website
We offer confidential 1-2-1 coaching for employees who are not funded by their employer over the phone or face to face.
Employees who are not funded by their employer can apply to Access to Work to fund up to six one-hour coaching sessions. Please click here to find out more.
We use a variety of coaching approaches to address the physical and psychological impact of cancer. Our coaching significantly complements and enhances EAP and Occupational Health services.
These are some of the issues* we typically discuss with individuals during coaching.
Watch a short film showing one of our coachees, Mandy Goodman, talking to Barbara Wilson about the benefits she derived from her coaching.
Neuroplasticity. Everybody needs to know this from https://youcantalk.net/
With some newfound clarity about why I’m actually writing this blog (to share stuff that I know and which might help people get on and live their lives, get unstuck and so on), this little gem simply has to be seen. I had been working in mental health for a long time before I heard about this and it was like music to my ears, and although it’s pretty mainstream now it is still an optimistic and freeing take on being human and our lifelong ability to learn, grow and change. Everybody can benefit from knowing this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELpfYCZa87g
If the link doesn’t work, search for ‘Sentis neuroplasticity’ and it should be the first result.
It is only two minutes long and it really can change your life.
Please watch it as many times as it takes for you to grasp the significance of it. I would particularly draw attention to the phrase ‘with repeated and directed attention towards the desired change’.
So call this whatever you like, it’s about developing the observer perspective in order to recognise choices and practise new and more helpful responses.
It is a positive process that requires practice, it is NOT about subtraction – meaning it is NOT about making unwanted things (thoughts, feelings, memories etc.) go away or stop, it is NOT trying to control difficult thoughts and feelings, suppression or avoidance, giving things up etc., and it is NOT effortful.
It IS about addition – aka learning new ways of responding, rather than reacting to what bothers you (more on this later), making different choices, trying new things.
When you make changes or learn something new the actual structure of your brain changes, and the more you practice the easier it gets.
So if you want to make a change – crack on, start building that new pathway. But of course, you have to really want to make that change. And you’ll have to repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat some more … and I repeat, it does not have to be effortful (yes, this is for you EP!), it is observational and non judgemental.
Understanding Bereavement Video
https://twitter.com/RichardEGrant/status/1532680429664358401
Please click on the link above for a moving video regarding bereavement from Richard E Grant.
Our next support session is Monday 15th August 12.30-1.30pm Scott Rowe Room Axminster Hospital.
Our Online Shop & Event Bookings – NEW SPRING COLOUR CARD
If you are looking for individual cards, or a bespoke gift locally made please do consider our online shop.
Hopefully we have made it easier for you to purchase beautifully illustrated blank cards, recipe books, key rings and CDs – all the money raised goes directly to help our clients.
https://axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk/shop/
Just add your items to the basket and go to the checkout which is now using Stripe payments but Paypal is still an option. If you have any problems please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.
Cards can be purchased at drop-in and local events or collection arranged.
Ways to support or connect with Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support
If you wish to donate online you can via a one off payment or a monthly donation. Just click the link below and follow the instructions or scan the QR code.
https://localgiving.org/charity/axminster-and-lyme-cancer-support/
How to get involved with fundraising via Easyfundraising, Amazon Smile etc
https://axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk/get-involved/fundraising/
Instagram & Facebook
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/axminsterandlymecancersupport/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk
Future Events for 2022 – More details will follow for these events nearer the time and will be updated on the newsletter and website.
support@axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk
Summer Show 1.00-5.00pm
Saturday 9th July
Uplyme Playing Field
Men’s Only Pie & Pint 6.30pm
Tuesday 19th July
The Wheelwright Inn – Colyford
Click here to book
Family Open Day 10.30-2.30pm
Monday 25th July
Uplyme Village Hall
Click here to book
Summer Flower Workshop 2.00-4.00pm
Monday 8th August
Lyme Regis Football Club
Click here to book
ALCS at Dalwood Fair
Saturday 20th August
Time TBC
ALCS Skin Cancer Sun Awareness Day 9.00-6.00pm
Sunday 21st August
ALCS Beach Hut Lyme Regis
ALCS Forum Meeting 12.00-1.30pm
Monday 22nd August
Lyme Regis Football Club
Click here to book
Wellbeing day at Penny Brohn, Bristol to celebrate 4 years since ALCS started.
Tuesday 11th October
More information to follow.
Art Exhibition for ALCS
More information to follow – Uplyme Village Hall
Viewing Friday 11th November 7-8.30pm
Saturday 12th November 9.30-12.30pm
Beach Hut Update
The Beach Hut will open shortly for September bookings. We have adjusted the bookings into a tier system for active treatment/had cancer/supporting someone with cancer or working for ALCS. Information on how to book will be issued at different times to those in the sections above. This change is a trial due to increasing number of clients and the limited number of dates available. Do also keep an eye out on dates becoming available via WhatsApp and Facebook/Instagram.
If you know you have a date booked that you cannot make please let us know ASAP.
Please note if you book the beach hut you will get an email with the booking, the system also sends a reminder and a member of the team will email you with the booking code. If you do not get these the booking has not been completed correctly. If you have any issues or wish for us to check any bookings you think you may have please email support@axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk
More information about the beach hut can be found via https://axminsterandlymecancersupport.co.uk/beach-hut/
