A Teesside cancer support group is celebrating a decade of helping hundreds of people through some of the toughest moments of their lives through crafting.
The University Hospital of North Tees’ weekly “craft and chat” group has brought patients, survivors and families together in Stockton since September 2016.
Run by the hospital’s Macmillan cancer information centre, the group helps people affected by cancer share experiences, make friends and support one another through treatment.
Macmillan cancer information centre staff and volunteer team (Image: Supplied)
Mary Sayers, 71, from Sedgefield, and Carole Manton, 79, from Fishburn, have been going to the group since it began.
Mary joined after being diagnosed with breast cancer and receiving a leaflet while waiting at the hospital.
She and Carole, then nearing the end of her own treatment, went along to the group together.
Mary said: "When you have cancer, it's your confidence that drops. We didn't all have the same cancer and we were all at different stages of treatment, but there was commonality there.
"Over the weeks and months, we all grew together and started to have a good laugh. It made life that little bit easier."
Macmillan's Alan Chandler with Mary Sayers and Carole Manton. (Image: University Hospitals Tees)
While general crafting is a key part of the group, members often create more specific items to support cancer patients, including mastectomy cushions, drain bags and teddy bears for children with the disease.
Mary said: "The reason I come now has changed. It's not about me anymore, it's about giving something back and supporting other people.
"Becoming part of a group like this helps to remind you that the cancer's just a small part of your life. It's a very happy place to be."
Wendy Caldwell, 56, from Fairfield, joined the group earlier this year after being diagnosed with breast cancer, and says she now hates missing a session.
She said: "When I first came, I was a bit scared because it was already an established group but I felt so included.
"If I miss a week now, I feel it. The group will recognise you're down and they'll just make you laugh. That's the beauty of the group."
Jamie Lee, 53, from Billingham, now volunteers at the hospital after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
He said: "We laugh and we cry, it keeps everybody going. Many times I've come and felt very low and I've left a different person.
"We're so fortunate to have access to this. I just wish there was more of this in the world."
Read more
Teesside woman's mega challenge honours grandad's 40 years on hospital radio
Transplant patients make plea to people to sign organ donor register
North East family seeks answers after engineer dies from asbestos-related cancer
Alan Chandler, Macmillan information and survivorship manager, said: "We've seen people come through the doors feeling anxious, isolated or unsure of what lies ahead, and leave with a support network they can rely on.
"It's been wonderful to see the group grow over the last 10 years and the positive impact it has had on so many people affected by cancer."
The craft and chat group meets every Friday from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at the Butterwick Hospice day centre next to the University Hospital of North Tees, and is open to anyone affected by cancer.