You may remember back in July I spoke about a group of people that were volunteering to support people affected by cancer that were losing their building and organisation.

This group of people have continued to work to listen to the people of Salisbury and beyond. They have been coming together and working with other organisations such as Salisbury District Hospital , Macmillan, Community First and Salisbury Medical Practice. Being connected up with these bigger organisations enabled them to obtain a room (kindly provided by Salisbury Medical Practice) and for them to continue providing a free drop-in service for listening to those affected by cancer. Despite this being a new service that was in a new location the group have volunteered over 20 hours of their time to support new people walking in every week.

The group; now called CO CLASS applied for the small grants application from Macmillan and are also setting up as a Community Organising group with funding support from Community Organisers Ltd. Over the past three months- in addition to their volunteered support time, they have negotiated a new room that is bigger and better for supporting people’s needs. Not only that but they have sought funding for their complimentary therapist, Rachel and an additional room for this, they have also supported a listening event with Salisbury Hospital asking people what kind of support would suit them best in the future.

So if you or someone you know has been affected by cancer and would like to come and chat- call or email me for more details, or drop in on the 9^th and say hi!

The drop in will be every Wednesday from 9am-1pm in the Wyle room at Salisbury Medical practice from the 9^th of October. There will be tea, coffee, smiles and an opportunity to chat. We can also let you know about some reflexology, aromatherapy, therapeutic massage and lymphatic drainage sessions that will be available for you to book onto.

This group are truly inspiring and determined. They wanted to keep supporting and they are certainly doing that; their motivation has ensured that there be a continued support beyond the closure of the centre. Now all we need to do is let everyone know about them.. so spread the word and come along and meet up for a chat.