FORCE Oncology Support Specialist Paul Grace takes you through a mindfulness exercise.

When Justine Wise was diagnosed with breast cancer, she found the depth and breadth of support from FORCE made a massive difference to her and her family. 
She was held and supported while she became physically and emotionally stronger, during and after treatment.
The mum-of-two is now a powerful advocate for the work of our charity and in our latest podcast, she talks openly about her cancer journey. 
If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer and you need support, advice or information, contact FORCE today.

Call: 01392 406151

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/supporting-you/

Rosie Martin is a former zoologist now working in the field of health and nutrition in Exeter.
She is an Occupational Health and Wellbeing Dietician at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Rosie has worked with a wide variety of patients within NHS acute and community settings and has specialised in both gastroenterology and oncology.
In the latest FORCE podcast she talks to our Information Nurse Jayne Fahy about eating well through a cancer diagnosis and beyond.
Between them they tackle many of the questions posed by patients calling and visiting the FORCE Support and Information Centre.
They also bust a few common myths about what - or what not to - eat and drink when cancer affects your life.
Clinical Nurse Specialists can offer advice to cancer patients how to access NHS services.
If you'd like to speak to someone at FORCE about anything connected with your cancer diagnosis call our experienced nursing team on 01392 406151 or email [email protected]

Living with cancer can be physically and emotionally challenging.
This can be particularly true when there are visible side-effects from treatment.
Suzanne Frost turned to FORCE when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and her appearance changed dramatically.
In our latest podcast, Suzanne talks frankly about her experience and the positive benefits of the Look Good Feel Better course she attended.
Look Good Feel Better is a free, one-off pampering session that teaches men, women and teens how to manage some of the visible side-effects of their cancer treatment in a practical and positive way.
Specially trained beauty consultants provide practical and effective support for people being treated for any type of cancer. Face-to-face groups for women run on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at our Support and Information Centre. The workshops introduce simple skincare and make-up skills in an informative, lively and fun way.
Look Good Feel Better has a large selection of online sessions now available including ones for teen groups, men – which offer expert advice on cleansing, exfoliating, shaving, moisturising and sun protection – as well as gentle exercise classes.
Look Good Feel Better is an independent charity.
To find out about FORCE and Look Good Feel Better, call Shelley Boult on 01392 408535.

You don't need to be super bendy or kitted out in the latest lurid lycra to make the most of yoga.
That's the message from FORCE Cancer Charity's specialist yoga instructor Wendy Reynolds.
In our latest podcast, Wendy busts plenty of myths about yoga and highlights the benefits to be had for joining her group.
FORCE offers a free six-week course at its Support and Information Centre in Exeter.
Wendy's popular sessions focus on gentle exercises and breathing techniques to help with symptom relief while recovering from cancer.
This class can help you learn what is useful for you throughout your cancer recovery and ongoing general health and wellbeing. Call 01392 403094 or email [email protected] for more details.

We often hear how this time of year can be a very difficult time for someone affected by cancer. 

It can intensify already challenging thoughts, feelings and situations which naturally come up while living with a diagnosis of cancer and its treatments.

FORCE Support Services Manager Alex Moseley and Oncology Support Specialist Emma Ellis talk openly about the ways they find to cope with stressful situations.

That might be finding the courage to say no or identifying a quiet space where you can take some time for yourself.

Maybe it's building Lego, knitting or even gargling!

It's about what works for you.

Alex and Emma have also compiled a list of organisations that may be able to offer help while our Support Centre is closed for the Christmas and New Year break.

See below for useful links, including self-help films and audio on the FORCE website.

If you or someone you are concerned about is in an emotional or mental health crisis that requires an urgent response then:

Contact the person’s GP, or the GP out of hours service or call NHS on 111.

If you have serious concerns for someone’s immediate safety then they can go to Accident and Emergency or phone the emergency services 999 for assistance.

Samaritans

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Open 24 hours

Telephone (free): 116 123  

Email: [email protected]

The National Suicide Prevention Helpline

https://www.spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline-uk/

Tel: 0800 689 5652

6pm to 3:30am everyday

Marie Curie

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/marie-curie-support-line/christmas

Tel: 0800 090 2309

See website for times

The Moorings

https://www.mhm.org.uk/the-moorings-devon

See website for times

SHOUT – support and confidential text service 

https://giveusashout.org/

Text SHOUT to 85258 – FREE 24 hours a day 

NHS

https://111.nhs.uk/

FORCE Cancer Charity

https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/supporting-you/mindfulness-and-relaxation/

https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/videos/

FORCE offers a range of free support for you at any stage of your cancer journey.
 If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer and you need support, advice or information, contact FORCE.

Call: 01392 406151

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/supporting-you/

Rachel Stewart was diagnosed with two types of breast cancer in June 2016. Her treatment included chemotherapy, a mastectomy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy.
Her world was rocked again in February 2021 with the news that her cancer had returned and spread to her liver, lungs, spine and ribs. It's incurable.
FORCE has been there for Rachel and her family at every stage of her cancer journey.
She is now living well with the disease, helped by a pioneering support group established by FORCE for patients whose cancer will never go away.
In this latest podcast, Rachel tells us about some of the dramatic lifestyle changes she has made and why she decided to repay FORCE for the support she's received with all sorts of fundraising initiatives.
We caught up with her just before an eventful trip across Europe in a former London taxi called Daisy. She and husband Mark have raised more than £6,000 in sponsorship, even though Daisy didn't make it all the way to the finish line in Prague!
You can still sponsor them at DrivingMissDaisyToPrague

Steve Huxtable talks honestly and openly about his cancer diagnosis, treatment and the support he received from FORCE... once he realised he needed help.

He credits the charity for helping to become a better person when the pressures of dealing with his illness took their toll.

Counselling, complementary therapies, relaxation sessions and the Moving Forward group all combined to get him through.

FORCE is here to help you and your loved ones through every step of a cancer diagnosis, treatment and aftercare.

All our services are free and available at our relaxed and comfortable Support and Information Centre in Exeter, weekdays except Bank Holidays from 9:30am until 4:30pm.

You can drop in whenever we’re open – no appointment needed. You can get information and advice and discuss the help and support you need with our professional staff. When possible, we also take our services into community hospitals across Devon and have exercise programmes around the county.

We work closely with hospital staff involved in the treatment of cancer patients and also have links with other cancer charities, which means that if we cannot help immediately, we can usually put you in touch with someone who can.

Contact us for support on 01392 406151 or [email protected]

The FORCE podcast returns with a Series 2 opening episode featuring Posy Passmore.
She and her late husband, Dick, chose to thank FORCE for the support they received during the 19 years he lived with cancer with a series of fundraising events, most notably Classics Galore!
Posy tells us how the couple first became involved with FORCE and how Classics grew over the years and has raised more than £110,000 for our charity.
Classics is back for 2022. Exeter’s very own Last Night of the Proms will be held at the University of Exeter Great Hall on Saturday November 12.
It's billed as one of Exeter’s biggest and best-loved indoor musical extravaganzas with around 200 top musicians and singers – a full orchestra, a brass band and two choral societies and their friends – will perform a variety of light classical favourites and rousing singalongs under musical director Malcolm Matthews and orchestra leader, Sarah Greinig.
The programme includes: Raiders of the Lost Ark (Williams), Zadok the Priest (Handel), Radetzky March (J Strauss I), The Sound of Music medley (Rodgers arr. Hazell) and a Proms style finale.
There will be two new faces at the concert this year.
Soloist for the evening will be soprano Cheryl Enever, who has worked with the BBC singers, the Royal Opera House and sung for royalty.
Cheryl will be joined on stage by compère Justin Leigh, the popular local broadcaster , who cannot wait to be Master of Ceremonies and to make his Classics debut.
Tickets for Classics Galore! 2022 are on sale, priced between £12 and £28. They are available at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/classics-galore-exeter

At some time in our lives, we will all experience the death of someone close to us.
This can often leave us unprepared because death isn’t something we often talk about.
We live our lives as if we are immortal, always planning, not really thinking about the fact that one day our lives will end.
In this podcast Force Cancer Charity Oncology Support Specialists Gerry Gillespie and Emma Ellis talk about the impact of bereavement.
Grief can be like a whirlpool. Emotions can change from moment to moment and it can feel like we are going mad. With time comes acceptance of the reality that our loved one has died and we can start the long, slow progress towards reorganising our life as our life grows around our grief.
FORCE has a number of resources to help.
There's information on our website - supporting-you/bereavement/
You can download our specially produced booklet - Understanding and Managing Grief
We also have a series of videos on bereavement that you may find helpful.

FORCE offers a range of free support for you at any stage of your cancer journey.
If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with cancer and you need support, advice or information, contact FORCE today.

Call: 01392 406151

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/supporting-you/