Other available support

FORCE is here to offer free help and support when someone close to you dies from cancer.

Our specialist team offers advice, support and strategies for coping.

We can provide limited one-to-one session’s for any bereavement (partner, family member or friend) to help manage your grief and understand some of the reasons why you may be feeling the way you are.

We have produced a booklet Understanding and Managing Grief

It helps you to understand some of the things you might be going through on the death of someone close to you.

To find out more you can contact our counselling and support team on 01392 406168 or 01392 406169 or email support@forcecancercharity.co.uk

Please find below information about support in the community and organisations and websites which people have found helpful.

Marie Curie

‘If you or a loved one are facing end of life or bereavement, we’re here to listen and help.’

Bereavement support service

‘If you want to talk to someone following a bereavement, we’re here for you. Whether your bereavement was expected, happened recently or was some time ago, we can help. We can also support you before your loved one dies.

Call us for free to discuss practical and emotional concerns with one of our trained Support Line Officers or get ongoing support from a bereavement volunteer.’

Call us on 0800 090 2309 for free bereavement support

https://www.therapy-directory.org.uk/ to find a counsellor for bereavement support.

Cruse Bereavement Care

3 Palace Gate

Exeter

EX1 1JA

Tel 03003305466

www.cruse.org.uk

The Compassionate Friends  

03451232304   

www.tcf.org.uk

The Good Grief Trust          

www.thegoodgrieftrust.org

Charity run by the bereaved, helping those suffering grief in the UK. Can help you find reassurance, advice and support.

Samaritans

www.samaritans.org

The WAY Foundation

widowedandyoung.org.uk

WAY UP 

Way Up is an active, online, self-help group aimed at providing mutual support to those who have been widowed primarily, but not exclusively,  in their 50s and 60s. Based in the UK, our free to join members-only forum is an important aspect of our group and is a way to initiate friendships, to exchange views and to give and to receive care and support.

At a loss

ataloss.org The UK’s signposting website for the bereaved. They can help you find bereavement services and counselling.

Balloons Charity

Their Vision: That bereaved children and young people have somewhere to turn when someone significant in their lives dies.

Their Mission: To support bereaved children and young people in our area when someone significant in their lives dies. To work alongside their families and the professionals who care for them to further enhance the support they receive.

01392 826065

The Ruth Strauss Foundation offers a family support service and resources to help families prepare for grief, death and dying when a parent has received a terminal diagnosis.

Find out more at Ruth Strauss Foundation.

Cancer Care Map is a simple, online resource that aims to help you find cancer support services in your local area wherever you are in the UK. You can either search for a service or browse the types of services available.

For more information, visit Cancer Care Map

Citizens Advice Exeter can help you sort out your money, legal and other problems.

They offer free, confidential, impartial and independent information and advice on a wide range of subjects including benefits, employment, housing, debt, consumer rights and legal issues.

How to access their services

Step 1 – Please visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk  where you will find a range of advice and information, together with an option to webchat with a member of the team about your issue.

Step 2 – If you are unable to use the internet or require further help, please call the free Helpline on 0808 278 7845 (Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm)

If you need help to claim Universal Credit for the first time, please call the dedicated helpline on 0800 144 8 444

Step 3 – If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can use a textphone service via Relay UK – 18001 then 0800 144 8884. This service can also help with Universal Credit claims.

Step 4 – A member of the CA team will answer your call or textphone enquiry and assess your advice need and ascertain the next steps. These may include: a telephone or face-to-face appointment; referral or signposting to another advice provider; or providing further information. We also have access to translation services, including sign language.

For more information, visit Citizens Advice

This is a free app for mobile phones and tablets. It is a comprehensive information and reference tool for cancer patients and their families, guiding them through their cancer journey at locations around the South West peninsula. It features videos, links, resources and contact information specific to your local cancer centre.

For more information, visit My Sunrise

Penny Brohn UK is a national charity with a support centre just outside Bristol.

The charity offers a wide range of practical and emotional support to people with cancer and their families.

Penny Brohn UK

Chapel Pill Lane,

Pill, Bristol,

BS20 0HH

Call: 0303 3000 118

Email: info@pennybrohn.org.uk

For more information, visit Penny Brohn UK

Having a diagnosis of cancer can be overwhelming but there are many things that can make a difference, to support you and your family before, during and after treatment.

FORCE offers free emotional and practical support for anyone whose life is affected by cancer.

As with all the health services you are using, FORCE is offering its services in a different way. We can now provide support via the phone, via video call, via email or by face to face appointment. Please download our support leaflet.

You don’t need a referral, so please feel free to contact us on 01392 406151 or e-mail support@forcecancercharity.co.uk. You can also drop in to see us at our Support Centre in the grounds of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.

The Cove Macmillan Cancer Support Centre is on the site of the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske in Truro.

The Cove is a purpose-built Macmillan Cancer Support Centre with comfy spaces where you can take time out, a friendly café, and private rooms for if you prefer somewhere quiet. It hosts regular support groups and events throughout the year.

It’s services are available for people accessing treatment via Cornwall based hospitals.

You can access Information and Support; Finance and Benefits advice; Counselling and Psychological Support; Physiotherapy; Nutritional Advice; a Café / refreshment area; Helping you Look Good and Feel Better; Yoga, Tai-Chi and Relaxation Sessions; Patient Support Groups.

The Cove Macmillan Cancer Support Centre
Royal Cornwall Hospital
Treliske
Truro
TR1 3LJ

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 4.30pm and until 8pm every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month for pre-booked appointments and Patient Support Groups.

Call: 01872 256363

Email: thecove@nhs.net

For more information, visit The Cove Macmillan Cancer Support Centre

The Fern Centre is based opposite the entrance to the Ladywell Unit at North Devon District Hospital in Barnstaple.

The Fern Centre offers information and support to those affected by cancer as well as their families by offering a warm, welcoming environment providing comfort and care away from the clinical setting.  The Centre provides a drop-in facility where friendly volunteers are happy to help you find the information or support you may need.  The Fern Centre has information on various diagnoses and treatments as well as how to stay healthy and protect your well-being during your cancer journey.

The Fern Centre also offers counselling and support to patients diagnosed with cancer as well as their partner and children.  Patients, family members and carers can also access complementary therapies, support groups and financial advice.

The Fern Centre also has three en-suite accommodation rooms available to relatives of patients being cared for throughout the hospital.  This wonderful service allows relatives to be near their loved ones when they are needed the most.

Opening hours:  

9 a.m. – 4.30 p.m. Monday to Friday

Weekends – Closed

Public Holidays – Closed

Call: 01271 311 855

Email: ndht.theferncentre@nhs.net

For more information, visit The Fern Centre

The Lodge Cancer Support and Information Centre is situated on the Torbay Hospital Annexe in Torquay site next to Lidl supermarket.

The Lodge is available for anyone affected by cancer – patients, carers, friends or a healthcare professional – offering telephone or face-to-face support. You do not need a professional referral and may be having treatment at hospitals other than Torbay.

At The Lodge you can access information, emotional support, financial and benefits advice, applications for Macmillan grants, a wig fitting service, headwear to purchase, complementary therapies, relaxation classes, pamper sessions for women and men, genetics counselling clinics and signposting to a wide range of local support and services. ​

The Lodge is a warm, welcoming house; an oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, with a pleasant garden to relax in when the weather is fine.

The Lodge Cancer Support and Information Centre
Torbay Hospital​ Annexe
Newton Road
Torquay TQ2 7BA

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm

Call: 01803 656490
Email: The Lodge Cancer Support and Information Centre

For more information, visit Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust

The Mustard Tree Macmillan Cancer Support Centre is situated at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, offering support to anyone affected by cancer at any stage of the illness for patients, relatives and carers.

The Mustard Tree is staffed by Macmillan professionals and trained volunteers, some of whom have had a personal experience with cancer. They offer information about your illness, details of the support that is available and the opportunity to talk to someone about how you feel.

The Mustard Tree also runs Outreach clinics (Triangle Centres) at Kingsbridge, Liskeard and Tavistock one day a week.

The Centre and its outreach clinics are not currently open but telephone or video support is still being offered between 9.00am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday (excluding bank or public holidays).

For more information please telephone call 01752 430060. There is an answerphone so if your call cannot be answered, please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible.

For more information, visit The Mustard Tree

This organisation is for people with cancer who have children.  They are based in London but you can access an online support group.

https://www.fruitflycollective.com/