A CANCER support centre in Oxfordshire has been awarded a £15,000 grant to provide a series of courses to help people who have had or have cancer to get on with their lives.

From September the Hummingbird Centre in Bicester will offer the HOPE (Help Overcoming Problems Effectively) course which is designed to help people with a cancer diagnosis manage the day-to-day impact of their condition, learn proactive ways to take control of their health and wellbeing and set positive goals for the future.

The scheme is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support.

Tracey Guttridge, 56, who lives in Bicester, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in September 2015 and has attended one of the early HOPE sessions at centre.

After nine rounds of chemotherapy as well as surgery, Ms Guttridge finally finished her main treatment in January this year, and said the course allows those who have beaten or are living with cancer to share knowledge and experience.

She said: "When you have cancer, the medical team hopefully get you through the treatment, but with cancer you lose control of so many things in your life, so the trauma really kicks in when you've finished your treatment.

"Physically and mentally you start digesting it all – you're no longer focused on fighting it.

"You find you can't constantly say to your family I'm really fed up, I'm really down.

"You need to stay strong for the people you love so they have no idea how you feel half the time.

"But the HOPE course gives you time to explore that.

"It gives you the permission to feel the way you feel.

"It makes it ok."

The HOPE course offers a more structured environment compared to a support group and is university accredited having been developed by Macmillan Cancer Support in partnership with Coventry University.

Topics include managing fatigue and stress, exploring character strengths and priorities as well as living positively with the fear of recurrence.

Co-founder of the Humming Bird Centre, Mechelle Harris, said the organisation in Launton, Bicester, was proud to have been awarded the funding for the course.

She said: "We are the only centre in Oxford that are accredited to run the course and it's really encouraging to know that Macmillan have a lot of trust in us to develop it and move forward with it."

She added: "If anyone is interested then please do get in touch."

The free six-week course starts in September, with a shorter two-week course in October and a carers’ and relatives’ course in March next year.

For more information or to enrol, call the Hummingbird Centre on 01869 244244 or email info@thehummingbirdcentre.org.uk