THE CAMBRIDGE CANCER HELP CENTRE was founded by Marilyn Barnes in 1986. She said that, after her operation, the surgeon told her that everything was looking good and that she should come back to the hospital in three months' time. 'But', she said to herself, 'what can I do to fight the cancer, to stay well, to give myself the best chance of full recovery?'

She recognised the need for mutual support and information, so founded the Centre to give people with cancer and their carers an opportunity to meet and talk and socialise and (if they wished) confide in each other. From a small beginning in 1986 the Centre has grown to a membership of over 250 people who visit from just about every village in Cambridgeshire, and some from even further afield. Everyone is welcome. “Lifeline”, the Centre’s newsletter, published three or four times a year, reaches people all over the country, and beyond. The Centre truly is a community based organisation.

In our community there are excellent hospitals, doctors and nurses and we work to maintain links with the local NHS Trusts (Addenbrooke’s, Lifespan Healthcare) which provide diagnosis, treatment and hospice care. However there are often long periods between visits to the clinic, between diagnosis and treatment, in the intervals of treatment, and after the course of treatment is completed, during which those concerned may feel anxious, depressed and alone. By mutual support, by putting people in touch with others who have experienced a similar cancer, by providing complementary therapies, friendship, understanding and a listening ear, we fill this gap.

The Cambridge Cancer Help Centre is administered by a part time administrator and volunteers. We do not provide medical advice or treatment. People visit the Centre because they want to meet others in a similar situation to their own. Some may be protecting their families, not wanting to upset them with their own fears. At the Centre they can speak openly in a warm and friendly environment. Mutual support and friendship, the sense of a safe haven, and psychological encouragement are seen as key benefits of, and reasons for, joining the Centre. At the Centre this is provided through others who themselves have or have had experience of cancer, rather than through medical professionals. Being able to give as well as to receive support is very important to the Centre’s members.

You do not have to be a member in order to enjoy the benefits of the Centre’s advice and facilities, nor do you have to have cancer in order to become a member and support the Centre. All members receive “Lifeline”, the Centre’s newsletter, and have the right to vote at the Centre’s Annual General Meeting.

The Centre provides counselling, self help groups, a variety of complementary therapies including healing, reflexology, Indian head massage and hand massage, and there are also relaxation and visualization sessions. The Centre’s team of dedicated therapists offer their time and expertise free of charge. Each therapist is a member of a relevant professional body, bound by that body’s code of conduct. All agree and comply with the aims, ethos and objectives of the Centre and its complementary therapies policies. The Centre also provides a telephone helpline.