As you may have seen, the team have been developing a short Cancer Support Guide to provide advice and guidance for anyone who is currently awaiting results, have recently been diagnosed or are living with cancer - or their carers.
We also included some of the signs and symptoms to look out for – as the earlier a cancer is detected the better the chances of long-term survival are. 

However, despite how far we’ve come - that our chances of living with and beating the disease are better now than they have been at any time in history – some people may not feel they’re coping very well.

Therefore, as it’s National Samaritans Awareness Day on 24th July, DON’T suffer in silence if you need someone to talk to. The Samaritans are a charity available 24 hours a day, seven days a week offering a free confidential listening service to anyone in distress - and there are now 203 Samaritan locations around the UK all of which offer their support at any time of the day to anyone who needs someone to talk to.

The volunteers at Samaritans are not professional counsellors. However, they are trained to be excellent listeners and to empathise with each individual and their issue – and they offer complete confidentiality.

Choosing 24/7 as their National Awareness Day date is incredibly clever, as it’s a strong, direct link to the charity’s availability to those who need immediate help. So if you need a sympathetic ear - not just on 24th of July - their free helpline number, available 24/7, is:

 * 116 123

Or visit their website at www.samaritans.org for more information about your nearest branch and the services the Samaritans offer.