Here is a carefully selected collection of trusted organisations and services offering information for your reference and to assist you, they can offer guidance, and support. These include international organisations & charities, national services, and Somerset‑based organisations that can provide help and services when you need it most.
With further and more detailed information below the links to external organisations.
This further reading is very informative.
When viewing this page on mobile or a tablet, the links to the websites will appear below the organisations.
Macmillan Cancer Research
Cancer Research UK
The Institute Of Cancer Research (ICR)
Worldwide Cancer Research
Worldwide Health Organisation
Mission Remission
Bowel Cancer UK
Bowel Research UK
Breast Cancer UK
Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire (SWAG Cancer Alliance - NHS)
NHS Somerset - NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Somerset Cancer Awareness
NHS Somerset - Bowel Cancer Screening
NHS Somerset - Breast Screening Services
NHS Somerset - Somerset Cancer Self Referral Service
SASP - Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership
SHAL Housing - Somerset Community based Social Housing Provider
Each of the underlined lines below are web links to the external organisations or services.
theinstituteofcancerresearch/?locale=en_GB
somersetft.nhs.uk/bowel-cancer-screening/
somersetft.nhs.uk/breast-care/
Somerset Cancer Self Referral Service
The first days after a diagnosis can feel like the ground has dropped away. These help someone feel they are not the only one.
The Incurable — theincurable.substack.com A warm, honest diary about living with cancer. There is sadness here, but also humour, dogs, and ordinary life carrying on. Good for showing that a person is still a whole person after a diagnosis. Note: the writer has an incurable cancer, so introduce it gently — it may suit some readers more than others.
Macmillan: your rights and what to expect — macmillan.org.uk A clear, calm guide to what happens next in the NHS — referrals, waiting times, asking for a second opinion. Steady, factual, and reassuring when everything feels out of control.
For the long middle stretch of appointments, side effects, and tiredness.
Cancer Culture by Dr Stacy Wentworth — cancerculture.substack.com Written by a cancer doctor who has spent years listening to patients. She writes weekly about the worries people carry and the science behind common questions. A trustworthy, kind voice. Note: she is based in the US, so the medical system she describes is not the NHS.
Finishing treatment can be its own shock — the support falls away just as people expect to “feel better.”
Dr Jeffrey Reynolds — drjeffreyreynolds.substack.com He has come through two different cancers and writes about finding purpose again afterwards. Important: he says himself this is for people after treatment, not those in the middle of it. Please don’t hand it to someone who is newly diagnosed or still in treatment.
GAG by Yvonne McClaren — yvonnemcclaren.substack.com Practical, down-to-earth writing about real daily life after head and neck cancer — eating, talking, getting back to normal things. Less about big emotions, more about “how do I actually live now.”
Gentle movement is one of the best-proven things for energy and mood during and after cancer. None of it needs a gym. (“Exercise During Chemotherapy”) —(Substack) Memios Based on a large review of studies. The simple message: walking at home, gentle resistance bands, or any movement you enjoy and can keep up will help. You do not need hard or fancy exercise — you need a little, often.
Macmillan: eating well and keeping active — macmillan.org.uk UK guidance with short videos. A safe, friendly starting point. Safety note: anyone who has had surgery, or feels very unwell, should ask their care team before starting — some people need to adjust certain movements.
Why Australia Is Prescribing Exercise For Cancer - Click the text that is underlined and in bold - to open the page on Why Australia is Prescribing Exercise for Cancer.
Many people with cancer struggle to sleep, often from worry, pain, or treatment. We couldn’t find a Substack on this trustworthy enough to recommend, so these are reliable health sources instead.
Sleep Foundation: cancer and sleep — sleepfoundation.org Clear, plain-English advice. It explains that a talking therapy called CBT-I (it gently retrains worried, racing thoughts at bedtime) has the strongest evidence for cancer-related sleep problems.
Dana-Farber: managing sleep during treatment — dana-farber.org Simple, practical tips — keeping naps short, a wind-down routine, and when to ask a doctor for help. Useful point for the café: some sleep supplements can clash with cancer treatment, so people should always check with their team before trying them.
This is the area with the most misinformation online. There is no “anti-cancer diet,” no superfood, and no good evidence that sugar “feeds” cancer or that cutting out food groups helps. Please steer people firmly towards trusted sources here, and be cautious about blogs or newsletters selling diets or miracle cures.
Penny Brohn UK & Macmillan: Eating Well booklet — pennybrohn.org.uk A free, friendly booklet made with NHS dietitians in Bristol — practically local to us. A lovely first thing to put on the table.
Macmillan: common questions about diet and cancer — macmillan.org.uk Plainly answers the myths, including why “superfoods” are just a marketing idea.
Cancer Research UK: eating and cancer — cancerresearchuk.org Solid, evidence-based guidance on healthy eating, with the science explained simply..
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