General cancer organisations
There are a number of different organisations, support groups and books to help you cope with cancer and its treatment.
Cancer Research UK information and support
Cancer Research UK is the largest cancer research organisation in the world outside the USA. We fund research on all aspects of cancer from its causes to prevention and treatment.
We are committed to producing high quality information for people affected by cancer. As well as looking at the information on this website you can call our nurse freephone helpline on 0808 800 4040. They are available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or you can send them a question online.
Cancer Chat is our online forum where you can share experiences.
Cancer support and information organisations
Macmillan Cancer Support is a charity that gives practical, medical and financial support to people with cancer in the UK. Its helpline gives guidance on cancer and advice on benefits. It also publishes booklets about cancer and treatments. Information is available in other languages.
Freephone: 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am to 8pm)
Contact email form
Action Cancer is the major cancer information and support charity in Northern Ireland. It has a full-time clinic and mobile unit for early detection and screening and offers one-to-one counselling. Services are free.
Action Cancer also funds a leading research team at Queen's University and the University of Ulster.
Action Cancer House
20 Windsor Avenue
Belfast
BT9 6EE
Phone: 028 9080 3344
Email: info@actioncancer.org
Cancer Card is a national charity based in Scotland. They aim to provide support to everyone affected by cancer. Their website has a support directory where you can search for national and local cancer support charities and services. You can also find stories of people affected by cancer. They have a cancer support helpline and a digital helpline, which can help you with your online needs. For example helping you gain digital skills so you can access online services, such as banking.
Cancer Card
109/11 Swanston Road
Edinburgh
EH10 7DS
Email: support@cancercard.org.uk
Cancer Voices is a UK wide network of people affected by cancer, supported by Macmillan Cancer Support. It can help you use your experience of cancer to help shape the future of cancer care. This might be through getting involved in local or national groups or taking part in surveys or research.
Life After Cancer supports adults with their mental wellbeing after cancer. They offer support through support groups, coaching programmes, and one to one coaching. Groups are facilitated by fully trained coaches, neuro linguistic programming (NLP) practitioners and mental health first aiders who have experience of cancer themselves.
The support groups have no more than 12 people. They meet online for 1 hour a week and are free. The coaching programme runs over 6 weeks for a small donation. One to one coaching sessions are priced on a sliding scale, based on your income.
They also have many videos and articles on their website to help inform and support you.
Email: Hello@life-aftercancer.co.uk
Maggie’s is a national charity with centres across the UK. They offer care and support to people affected by cancer. Each centre is beside an NHS cancer hospital and is run by specialist staff.
You can join a support group, take part in weekly sessions like relaxation and stress management, or learn about nutrition and health. You can also visit just to have a cup of tea and a friendly chat.
Phone: 0300 123 1801
Email: enquiries@maggies.org
Marie Curie runs 9 centres (hospices) throughout the UK. And a nationwide Marie Curie nursing service, providing care for patients in their own homes throughout the day or night, free of charge.
Head Office:
89, Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7TP
Support line: 0800 090 2309. For emotional support and practical advice about terminal illness, including for family and friends. The support line is open 8am - 6pm Monday to Friday and 11am - 5pm on Saturday.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the US organisation for cancer research. It has information about all types of cancer.
A UK based centre that offers a programme of complementary care to people with cancer and their loved ones. This is called The Bristol Whole Life Approach. They also offer local support across the country.
Penny Brohn UK can give you information about appropriate, balanced and nutritious diets for people with cancer.
Chapel Pill Lane
Pill
Bristol
BS20 0HH
Helpline: 0303 3000 118
Email: info@pennybrohn.org.uk or fill out their contact form
Cancer Support Scotland offers support, education and care for people with cancer. They also have information for relatives, friends and health professionals. They promote a network of support groups throughout Scotland.
Cancer Support Scotland Head Office
75 Shelley Road
Glasgow
G12 0ZE
Phone: 0800 652 4531
Tenovus Cancer Care provides an information service on all aspects of cancer. The charity provides practical and emotional support for people with cancer and their families. They have mobile support units bring cancer treatment into local communities in Wales.
Cardiff (Head Office)
Tenovus Cancer Care
First Floor
Jones Court
Womanby Street
Cardiff
CF10 1BR
Support line: 0808 808 1010
Cancer Focus Northern Ireland have a cancer information helpline and information and resource centre. They provide public and professional education, rehabilitation programmes and support groups for patients and relatives.
40-44 Eglantine Avenue
Belfast
BT9 6DX
Cancer nurse helpline: 0800 783 3339 Monday - Friday 9am to 1pm
Email: nurseline@cancerfocusni.org
The Future Fertility Programme is run by a team of doctors, researchers and tissue bank specialists. They are part of Oxford University Hospitals (OUH).
They aim to help children and young people at risk of infertility due to illness or treatment.
Provides free, reliable information about health issues including mental health, by sharing people's real-life experiences.
Healthy eating and being active
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) is the only body in the UK representing the whole of the dietetic workforce. The website provides a large amount of information for anyone interested in food and nutrition
British Dietetic Association
3rd Floor Interchange Place,
151-165 Edmund Street,
Birmingham,
B3 2TA
United Kingdom
Email: info@bda.uk.com
Tel: 0121 200 8080
World Cancer Research Fund is a charity that provides information and advice about nutrition, physical activity and cancer. They also have a helpline run by dietitians.
Helpline: 0333 034 1988 (Tuesdays 12pm – 2pm and Thursdays 6pm to 8pm)
Email: helpline@wcrf.org
Move Against Cancer is a charity that offer exercise programmes and online resources for people with cancer. This includes:
- an 8 week virtual one-to-one support programme for anyone aged 13 to 30 diagnosed with cancer
- 5k Your Way community groups for anyone living with and beyond cancer, their families and friends, and those working in cancer services
The website also provides an online education tool to encourage and support people to be active through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Finance, work and equipment organisations
This website replaces the Department for Work and Pensions website and the Directgov website. All the government departments and many other agencies and public bodies have merged into this one website.
It has information about all government services including benefits and tax credits. You can also get benefits advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau or Social Services. Both have local offices and you can find contact details in your local phone book or on the internet.
Turn2us is a national UK charity that gives practical help to people who are struggling financially. It helps people find financial support such as welfare benefits and charitable grants. The website has:
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a benefits calculator
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a search tool for finding funds that might be able to give you a grant or other types of help
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a tool to look for a local adviser to help you with advice on personal benefits or grants issues
Turn2us also has its own national grant programmes, as well as financial help for people in need in Edinburgh. You can find more information on their website.
Working With Cancer helps employees, employers, the self-employed, job seekers and carers to manage cancer and work. They provide coaching support and advice for the person with cancer and also for their partners.
They run a wide variety of training workshops and provide coaching support for cancer patients and survivors on how to manage work and cancer, return to work or how to find employment.
ASTRiiD stands for ‘Available Skills for Training, Refreshing, Improvement, Innovation and Development’.
ASTRiiD is a not for profit organisation connecting businesses with people who have long term health problems, including cancer, but who still have skills to offer employers. A person can register their skills and experiences along with how much time they might be able to give to a potential employer. This might be a number of days a week or even just a few hours a month.
A company registers and highlights the skills and experiences that they are looking for in order to complete some work. ASTRiiD then compares these two registrations to see if there is match. If there is a good match then ASTRiiD will introduce one side to the other.
Email: hello@astriid.org
This is an online shop for daily living equipment for the disabled community, older people, or those who look after people with difficulty getting around.
Email: contact@essentialaids.com
Phone: 01273 719889
This registered charity provides ID jewellery engraved with your medical condition and a 24 hour telephone number to call in the event of an emergency. The jewellery starts at around £25 per bracelet.
Phone: 01908 951 045 (Monday to Friday: 8am - 3:30pm or Saturday: 9am - 3pm)
Email: info@medicalert.org.uk
This company makes waterproof covers for dressings or casts on arms and legs. This means you can go swimming or take a bath or shower without worrying. The cover can also be used for an arm with a PICC line. Ask your specialist or nurse about getting one on the NHS or you can buy one direct from the company.
Bowcliffe Hall
Bramham
Wetherby
West Yorkshire
LS23 6LP
Phone: 0870 041 0150
Email: enquiries@autonomed.co.uk
DryPro Cast Covers provide waterproof covers for dressings or casts on arms and legs. You can keep a PICC line dry while swimming or taking a bath or shower. Ask your specialist or nurse about getting one on the NHS or you can buy one direct from the company.
Downsview House,
91 Marlborough Road,
Lancing Business Park,
Lancing,
West Sussex,
BN15 8SU
Phone: 0845 4349 170
Email: info@castcovers.co.uk
British Red Cross services vary in different parts of the country. They provide medical equipment, transport and hospital escort services, home emergency personal care and home respite care. There are branches throughout the UK.
Support Line: 0808 196 3651 (Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm, Wednesday 10am to 8pm)
Living Made Easy is part of the Shaw Trust. It provides information and advice on equipment and aids to help with daily living.
Women's cancer organisations
This charity aims to help with the physical and emotional wellbeing of people going through cancer treatment. They provide confidence boosting workshops, which gives a chance for people to meet others going through a similar experience and to learn skills to manage some of the side effects of treatment, such as skincare and make up techniques.
Workshops take place in hospitals and support centres across the UK. You can find your nearest workshop and read more about the work of the charity on their website.
Phone: 01372 747500
Email: info@lgfb.co.uk
The Daisy Network provides help, support and information for women who have early menopause.
Daisy Network
82a James Carter Road
Mildenhall
Suffolk
IP28 7DE
Email: info@daisynetwork.org.uk
This organisation provides information about many women's health issues. For a minimum donation of £10 to cover costs, they can give personalised email advice about your reproductive, gynaecological or sexual health. Produces booklets on a range of subjects including hormone replacement therapy, menopause, hysterectomy and ovarian cysts.
The Barn
Dukes Place
Marlow
Buckinghamshire
SL7 2QH
Office telephone: 01628 890199
Contact Form
Cancer, Fertility and Me is a website. It is for people with cancer who are having treatment that may affect their fertility, or chances of becoming pregnant in the future.
It is written by fertility doctors, specialist nurses, psychologists and other professionals.
It aims to help people think about the treatments which may help to preserve their fertility. It also aims to help you prepare to talk with your healthcare team, partner, family and friends about fertility preservation before cancer treatment starts.
Young people's cancer information and support
Macmillan Cancer Support has a separate section on its website for teenagers and young adults with cancer. It offers advice and support on how to cope with cancer, and the chance to share experiences of cancer with other teenagers.
Young Lives vs Cancer is a charity that provides clinical, practical, financial and emotional support for children and young people and their families who are affected by cancer. You can chat to the social care team through their live chat. Or you can email or phone them.
Phone: 0300 303 5220 Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.
Riprap is a UK website designed to offer support to teenagers of all ages who have a parent affected by cancer. They have an email information service, an online forum and information about local support.
The Youth Cancer Trust provides free holidays to young cancer patients between the ages of 14 to 30 attending any hospital in the UK or the Irish Republic, subject to approval from their doctor. Young people are invited to spend a few days with other guests of a similar age and situation at Tracy Anne House in Bournemouth. They can come in groups up to eight and bring a brother, sister or a friend. The emphasis is on a relaxed, carefree and fun holiday, allowing a few days away from hospitals.
Tracy Ann House
5 Studland Road
Alum Chine
Bournemouth
BH4 8HZ
Phone: 01202 763591
Email: admin@yct.org.uk
Shine is a charity working to create a community of young adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have experienced a cancer diagnosis.
Shine has local peer support networks across the UK and runs a number of annual events including Shine Camp (a summer camping trip) and Shine Connect, a conference for young adults with cancer, their friends and family, and healthcare professionals.
Shine also runs workshops on topics such as working after cancer and managing anxiety and depression.
Phone: 07804 479 413
Email: hi@shinecancersupport.org
AfterThoughts is a podcast. It is a collection of patient stories from teenagers to people in their twenties and thirties.
They discuss life after a cancer diagnosis. They cover a range of issues such as fertility, body image and talking about cancer with family and friends. It is presented by two young people who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Teenage Cancer Trust is a national charity providing specialist units, expert staff, support events, education and information for 13 to 24 year olds diagnosed with cancer, and their friends and families.
Teenage Cancer Trust also work closely with healthcare professionals and researchers to lead the way on developing cancer care for teenagers and young adults.
Teenage Cancer Trust
The Place
175 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7AA
Phone: 020 7612 0370 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm
Email: hello@teenagecancertrust.org
Help with relationships and sexuality
College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT) provides information about what help and therapy is available for sexual difficulties.
Telephone: 020 8106 9635
Email: info@cosrt.org.uk
OUTpatients charity provide help and support to the LGBTIQ+ community who are living with, or have been affected by, cancer. This support includes online peer support meetings for LGBTIQ+ cancer patients and their partners and carers. The website includes information about cancer risk and screening, and the impact of cancer treatment in LGBTIQ+ people.
The charity also provide education to health professionals working in the cancer care sector.
Prostate Cancer UK provides information and support to anyone with concerns about prostate cancer. They have a helpline, produce information and fund research into prostate cancer.
Contact form
Helpline: 0800 074 8383
Relate offers private and confidential counselling, and psychosexual therapy to help with relationship problems. They provide counselling over the phone, through a webcam or face to face at a Relate centre. Clients are asked to contribute towards the cost of their counselling sessions according to their income.
Switchboard provides an information, support and referral service for lesbians, gay men and bisexual and trans people - and anyone considering issues around their sexuality or gender identity. Their helpline is open every day between 10am and 10pm. They also offer a chat and email service.
PO Box 7324
London
N1 9QS
Phone number: 0800 0119 100 open from 10 am to 10 pm every day
Email: hello@switchboard.lgbt
General organisations
For general health advice and information.
NHS 111 gives information if you need fast medical help but it's not a 999 emergency.
NHS 24 is a confidential telephone health advice and information service for people in Scotland. It provides urgent advice out of hours.
Phone: 111
Self Management UK is an organisation that works with patients and carers to help them manage day to day when living with long term conditions. One of the programmes is called the Expert Patients Programme. The aim of this course is to help people gain confidence in taking responsibility for their conditions alongside the health professionals caring for them.
Email: hello@selfmanagementuk.org
The Royal College of Psychiatrists produce highly recommended leaflets covering topics such as:
- depression
- anxiety and phobias
- sleeping well
- bereavement
You can download these leaflets from their website.
Phone: 0208 618 4000
Bereavement organisations
This organisation has a range of resources to support bereaved families, including booklets, leaflets and books. There is a section on their website with information about dying and bereavement for young people. Their website has a forum for people to share experiences.
Helpline: 0800 02 888 40
Email: helpline@childbereavementuk.org
Cruse provides bereavement counselling. It offers help, support and information to anyone facing bereavement or who has been bereaved. It has a network of local branches throughout the UK.
Helpline: 0808 808 1677
Daisy's Dream provides information for families and children when someone close to them has died. There is a useful book list and information sheets to download including:
- Talking to children about death
- Talking about funerals
- The death of a grandparent
Tel: 0118 934 2604
Email: info@daisysdream.org.uk
An organisation of bereaved parents offering friendship and understanding to other bereaved parents after the death of a son or daughter from any cause whatsoever. Personal and group support. Quarterly newsletter. Postal library and range of leaflets. Support for bereaved siblings and grandparents. Befriending rather than counselling. Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu are spoken.
Helpline: 0345 123 2304 (Daily 10am to 4pm, and 7pm to 10pm)
Helpline Northern Ireland: 0288 77 88 016 (Daily 10am to 4pm, and 7pm to 9.30pm)
Email (helpline): helpline@tcf.org.uk
This organisation aims to support you through your bereavement, connect you with others who have experienced something similar and help you get the information and assistance you need.
Phone: 0300 200 4112
Email: hello@thelossfoundation.org
Information for people with learning disability
People with learning disabilities may gain better understanding from pictures, rather than text. The following organisations provide materials that can help.
These books are for people who find it easier to understand pictures than words. There are picture booklets on specific issues such as:
- Getting on with cancer
- When mum died
- When dad died
- When somebody dies
- Am I going to die?
Tel: 020 7492 2559
Email: admin@booksbeyondwords.co.uk
This organisation aims to facilitate better support in the community for people with disabilities. There are factsheets on the website looking at some of the ways a parent or carer can help a person with a learning disability to understand and cope with loss, bereavement and death.
Tel: 0121 415 6960
Email: enquiries@bild.org.uk
Rare cancers
The CUP Foundation has a website with information about CUP. They have a news section and blog where updates about research into CUP are posted.
CUP Foundation,
The Fold,
Lower End,
Daglingworth,
Cirencester
GL7 7AH
