News

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 12 May 2026 at the Fusiler Museum at 1.00 p.m.  The topic this time  is 

"What's happening?" - Myeloma Update - Dr Jenna Fielding Consultant Haematologist, Manchester Royal Infirmary

All Things Mouthcare

We had an excellent presentation from Emma Riley, Healthcare Services Director on Mouthcare.  Emma pointed out the importance of mothcare and that neglecting this can lead to lots of other health problems from infections, pneumonia and even to sepsis.  She also talked about dry mouth syndrome which many on cancer treatment suffer from and the best forms of treatment to deal with this.

Staying Well

On 23 February we had an excellent turnout to hear a Talk from Hannah and Adam on the services that the  Staying well team provide.  If you are over 50 and a resident but not currently receiving any support from social care services then you are eligble for their service to help you stay well.  For those outside the area it is worth contacting your local council to ask what services they offer for elderly.  Hannah and Adam talked about the fact that you are assessed in your own home and they can then provide you with referrals to other services e.g help with applying for benefits, simple adaptations e.g grab rails etc.  People found it extremely helpful and they took time to talk to people individually too.

AGM

There were 24 members at the AGM on Monday 12 January 2026.  After a sandwich lunch the business part of the meeting took place.  Two important documents, the Consitution and Adults at Risk policy had been updated.  There were ratified by the members.  The committee membership was also confirmed as seen in the section 'about us - our team'.  Christine also highlighted some of the events that had taken place the previous year and said the group continued to be friendly and inclusive.  

Christmas Lunch

Twenty four members of the support group enjoyed a Christmas Lunch on Monday 8 December at Owen's Restaurant.  It was a very sociable occasion and followed by free raffle.  The committee were thanked for organising it. Pictures of the occasion can be seen in the latest newsletter.

Safe and Sound Wellbeing

Russ Magnall gave a lively and entertaining talk on how to build resistance along with tips.  He also directed us to his website on safeandsoundwellbeing.com which gives tips and techniques for dealing with all of life' challenges.  He was so appreciated that he might return to the group at a future date.

Coping with Fatigue

We had an excellent presentation from Sarah Plant on how to cope with fatigue.  Sarah introduced the 3 P's, Plan, Prioritise and Pace.  When having fatigue it is important to plan ahead but not to overload.  This means prioritising and thinking about what needs to be done, what can be lessened or delegated or simply stop doing.  Even on a good day it is important to pace yourself.  If you go all out you may find the next day you are so exhausted that you are not capable of doing anything.

Sarah also explained where and how people can contact Macmillan and what services they can provide and how they can refer you if required to other services.

Visit to Granada News

A group of us were lucky to visit Granada Studios to have a tour of the building and see how the reports are put together.  People had a chance to sit in the presenter's chair and read the news from the autocue.  We met the technical staff who control the cameras, the links to oher reports, the producer and the presenter all of whom made us very welcome. This was organised by Caroline Whitmore, one of the reporters who is the daughter of Christine Hacking and everyone agreed was a great experience.

Equipment and home adaptations to aid daily living.

We had an excellent talk from Paula Cotton, an ocupational therapist and one of our members on what equipment and minor adaptations could be made to make life easier with daily tasks at home.  Those below £1000 will be provided free of charge from your local authority whereas more major adaptations might be funded from a grant although the latter is means tested.  She not only talked about the benefits but also some issues where equipment and adaptations may not be suitable.

Visit to Bridgewater Gardens

Twelve members of the group visited the garden.  Unfortunately after all the glorious weather we had been having it was very overcast but apart from a little drizzle the rain stayed away and people enjoyed the visit.

Jacob's Feast

We had a most enjoyable Jacob's Feast with members bringing lots of food to share.  As before there was so much that people were able to take home 'goody bags' too.  

All Things Myeloma

Dr Jenna Fielding, Consultant Haematologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary gave us an interesting talk on the developments in Myeloma treatment.  The improvements have led to much better survival rates and new treatments are happening all the time including giving a number of drugs at the same time leading to better periods of remission.  She also answered a number of questions from members of the group.

Bispeficics in Myeloma Treatment 

Amanda Lane, Advanced Nurse Practitioner gave us an interesting talk on this new type of immunological treatmen.  Whereas before the monoclonal treatment attacked the myeloma cell the new treatment links to both the myeloma cell and the t cell (or white cells that provide immunity).  It is a more powerful treatment but does have considerable side effects.  For this reason people are admitted for the first treatment to monitor side effects.  To be eligible you need to have had three previous courses of treatment

Ben Hughes Exercise Referral Officer

At the meeting on 25 February we had an excellent talk from Ben about Live Well Bury and what they do.  He is particulary interested in exercise and also in healthy eating.  He explained the importance of exercise and doing it regularly.  He managed to get the whole group try out some of the exercises and explained that you start with a low number of repetions but gradually build up.  When this gets easy he suggested adding weights of simply a can of beans to make arm raises for example harder.  He distributed leaflets about local walks and also sheets with the exercises.  Everyone really enjoyed the session.

AGM

At our AGM meeting on 13 January we were sadly depleted due to lots of bugs going around so there were only 16 in attendance.  We provided a light lunch which was enjoyed by all and then had the business part of the meeting.  Christine McCleod kindly agreed to take over from Mel as Treasurer with effect from the next meeting.  Normally we choose our outings for the year but as so few were in attendance this was delayed until the next meeting.  Following the business part of the meeting we had a quiz that Simon had kindly prepared.