A community based drop in group, run by Dorothy House and We Hear You. This group is for anyone affected by life limiting illness or associated bereavement, to connect with people in similar situation and chat to volunteers in an informal setting. Every Tuesday from 26th November, 10:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Cheese and Grain, Frome.

This group is now well established with an attendance of around 40 people. The group encourages wives, partners and family members to attend. The group has guest speakers including consultants and specialist nurses.

Meetings are quarterly in March, May, September and November on a Saturday morning between 10.00am and 12.00pm.

Venue: The Albemarle Centre, Albemarle Road, Taunton TA1 1BA.

Contact Peter Hopwood for further information.

Matt’s Respite Retreats is a service providing affordable breaks for those affected by cancer within Dorset, Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset.  We support those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing treatment or have received treatment within the last six months or the beneficiary is terminally ill with cancer.

Matt’s Respite Retreats have the use of a two bedroom static caravan which can sleep up to six (including a pull out double bed in the lounge). The caravan has two bedrooms consisting of a double with En-suite bathroom and a twin room with a bathroom across the hallway. For a small charge (currently £50-£60) you are able to take a three or four-night stay. Passes for the pools and entertainment complex are being very generously given free of charge by Haven. If you need help with funding this then we are able to direct you to other charities who will consider funding these for you.

Please contact us for a Nomination form or for further information. Facebook: @Mattsrespiteretreats

Frome Medical Practice, Enos Way, Frome BA11 2FH first meeting Thursday 25th Jan 2018 2pm – 3.30pm. No need to book. Call for future dates.

Breast Cancer Self Help Group every Wednesday 9.30 -11.30am  at Wookey Hub, High Street, Wookey BA5 1JZ Please ring Joy for further details.

 Marie Curie helper service support people living with any terminal illness, and their families. We offer expert care, guidance and support to help them get the most from the time they have left as well as support for the carers.

If you or a loved-one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, Dorothy House are here to offer support. We care for people with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses and we provide 80% of our services directly in the community. We provide outstanding palliative and end of life care, giving patients, their families and carers access to specialists in a range of services.

All our services are free of charge. To be referred to Dorothy House you will need to talk to your GP, district nurse or other healthcare professional or if you would like to discuss how we might be able to support you, a relative, carer or friend, please contact us.

We support people to live well with the impact of cancer through lifestyle information, self management tools and support. Our services address the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual impact of cancer, through a comprehensive whole-person programme that is designed to work alongside medical treatment. We recognise that cancer has an impact on the people closest to you and we welcome your supporters. We are here to support people through their whole journey living with and beyond cancer. We welcome direct self referrals from anyone over the age of 18 years with a cancer diagnosis and their close supporter. Referrals can also be made by health and social care professionals.

If you are affected or have been bereaved by cancer or another life threatening condition, We Hear You provides free, professional counselling. We support children, young people and adults in Mendip from various locations across Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset and Wiltshire.

We also offer mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), outdoor therapy courses and exercise/wellbeing activities. Please contact us for information about activities currently on offer

Please note that all our counselling will be delivered by telephone or via an online video portal during the covid-19 outbreak and until further notice

Coronavirus

In response to the current crisis we have developed a service specifically for those people affected by coronavirus. We can offer you support over the phone to help you cope with the emotional impact of Covid-19. Please contact us to arrange a telephone appointment. The service provides up to four telephone sessions with an experienced counsellor. It’s not a counselling service, however those who access the Covid-19 service are able to go on our waiting list for counselling once telephone support has ended.

Bereavement

If you’ve lost a friend or loved one to cancer or a life-threatening condition, including Covid-19, We Hear You provides free, professional counselling.

Provide a free service to those in the community affected by a life-limiting illness. We run informal support groups in Yeovil and Taunton. We welcome anyone who is affected by a life limiting illness. This could be patients, friends, family or carers.  There is no need to book in advance or be referred by your GP – anyone can drop in at anytime during opening hours. The groups are run by trained volunteers.  For further details please contact:

The Somerset Association is run by local men who have been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. One of the objectives of the charity is to help patients and families at all stages of their cancer journey. This can be achieved by gaining knowledge from those in the group who have already experienced the traumas, the treatment decisions and set-backs. Call to find out about meeting times/dates. 4 meetings a year.

Macmillan Step Up Service is available to people in Mendip. This is a fatigue and lifestyle management service for adult cancer survivors who are struggling to cope with daily activities due to fatigue related symptoms following completion of their primary cancer treatment.  We aim to help people with cancer-related fatigue to achieve personally acceptable lifestyle changes and maximise their wellbeing.  We can also provide specific help and support with work/vocational rehabilitation, including advice and assistance with returning to work following treatment and maintaining work if fatigue is making this difficult. For referral advice or for further information, please contact our team.

This is a small group at present. They have a drink and eat cake! And discuss anything that people want to talk about, whether it is their bodies, their treatment, side-effects, partners, whatever! Last Wednesday of each month at 2.30pm, in a member’s home in Frome.

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. We provide clinical, practical, financial and emotional support to help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life. We are there from diagnosis onwards and aim to help the whole family deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement.

We provide specialist services for adults experiencing longstanding fatigue that is having a significant impact on daily functioning and activities. There are three strands to our Service which provide fatigue and lifestyle management for viral fatigue/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME; cancer related fatigue living with and beyond cancer (Macmillan Step Up Service) and long term conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis.

For referral advice or for further information, please contact our team or visit our website.