Sarah Colledge at Blackpool Victoria Hospital
A patient from Blackpool Victoria Hospital is launching a new charity to give positive support to people affected by cancer.
Mum of two, Sarah Colledge from Blackpool, will host the ‘Positive Peers’ group meetings on Tuesdays from 2pm to 4pm at Staining Community Centre.
Sarah, 38, who is being treated for cancer by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says she wants to give others a chance to experience new things and to have some fun.
Sarah said: “It’s very exciting. I want people to be able to enjoy themselves and have positive experiences.
“I’d love to be able to help people to see things in a more positive light.
“I want to create joy and happiness and to see people making new friends. We don’t have to just meet within the group. We can also meet outside the group and have more things to look forward to.
“I want lots of people to start coming to the group so we can all get to know each other. It would be great if we could arrange for people to do things they’ve never done before.”
The group will meet on a weekly basis and it’s for anyone on the Fylde coast who has cancer, who is recovering from the disease or who is a carer.
Members can share their experiences, make new friends and enjoy different activities. Men and women of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to go along.
Sarah hopes to offer holistic therapies and she is planning craft activities as well as social outings. She has applied for a start-up grant from Macmillan Cancer Support and would love to hear from any other potential supporters or sponsors.
Several of Sarah’s friends are volunteering within the charity and her sisters, Jayne Fort and Clare Cookney, are trustees. Jayne’s mother in law, Barbara Fort, is the charity’s secretary and Dawn Clark is the treasurer.
Sarah said: “I didn’t want to aim the charity at a specific cancer type because I have an unknown primary cancer myself.
“I also have a friend who has an unknown primary. We won’t fit into any specific categories.”
Sarah was first diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and has had extensive treatment. Sadly, the cancer has returned but Sarah remains positive.
She added: “I want to carry on doing things for as long as I can and I want to do amazing things with the charity.
“I have a wonderful family – they are very supportive.
“Eventually we want to get our own premises so we have a permanent base. We will tailor everything we do to people’s needs.
“I have found that by going out you don’t necessarily forget that you have cancer but you can put it to the back of your mind for a while. You can carry on living as normal a life as possible.”
For more information go Sarah’s charity website at www.positivepeers.co.uk
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