Community News - Macmillan Online Community

Summer Picture Festival

What better way to look back on summer than through pictures? This summer, we asked Online Community members to share their experiences of summer through photographs and artwork as part of our Summer Picture Festival in our “Express yourself” forum . This forum is a place to celebrate creativity and how being creative can help you to feel better. Here on Community News, we’ll be reflecting on summer as we go into autumn by looking through a selection of members' photographs and artwork. Remember you can also see all the pictures from this year’s Summer Picture Festival in the “Express yourself” forum . Lots of members shared pictures of flowers in bloom. If you share a love of gardening, why not take a look at our blog on gardening chat ? Some members shared their paintings. If you…

Eliza -Online Community Team
"...One of the best bits of advice given to me, has been to try and take every day as it comes..." (Sukki17) - Wellbeing Wednesdays: November

October seems to have flown by in a flurry of multi-coloured leaves and soggy misty mornings. Here’s our ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ summary to ease us into the beginning of November. So put your feet up and have a scroll through some wonderful wellbeing tips from the Community . "...if the event is in our control we can do it, and if it’s not in our control we can decide how we respond to it.’ ‘The old adage “Life is what you make it” really is very true, because even in trying times we have the option to decide what to do, and if the event is in our control we can do it, and if it’s not in our control we can decide how we respond to it.’ ( Tim90 ) ‘The Japanese have a word wabi-sabi - nothing is ever permanent, perfect or complete.’ () "Don't have expectations of yourself. It’s rubbish…

Former Member
Fall into the Online Community Autumn Quiz

We're starting to hear lots of mentions of autumn on the Community, with members talking about the nights drawing in, the colours of the trees and the leaves crunching under your feet. As many of you told us that you enjoyed the chance to relax and engage with light-hearted content, w e've created an autumn themed quiz for the Community today. Even if you're not feeling particularly positive about Autumn this year, you might find light-hearted distractions to be helpful. Have a go at 'conker'ing the quiz today and see how you get on! How to play the interactive quiz Use the voting buttons to choose your answer from the multiple choices shown. You are welcome to try all eight questions, or just a few. Once you have voted for your answer, you will be able to see how many others chose…

Steph - Online Community Team
Mental Health Awareness Week, kindness and blogging in the Community...

It’s Mental Health Awareness this week in the UK and the theme this year is ‘being kind’. Today we’re exploring different ways of using shared experience in the Community to help protect your mental health, plus as a kindness to other members. "I still take comfort in the many kind words of wisdom given on this forum." Peanut123 , Bereaved spouse forum "Thank you so much for taking the time to reply, your kindness and for sharing your personal experiences. Your words read like sunshine on the page." Kralc , Ovarian cancer group We regularly see the benefit of members sharing their perspective, as it can be not only feel helpful to put your thoughts on paper, but it can be such a kindness to others. Finding someone to talk to, who has been through similar experiences can mean so much…

Steph - Online Community Team
"There is nothing better than a cuddle with our cat to cheer Brian up..."

"Animals are such agreeable friends. They ask no questions. They pass no criticisms." - George Elliot Over the past several years the benefits of pets to mental wellbeing has grown clearer and clearer. The companionship pets offer is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress, and dogs especially encourage owners to exercise, and possibly socialise with other dog walkers. Over the past several weeks I’ve been talking to Community members and our own staff about the impact pets have on their lives – here’s what they had to say… Cruton and her ‘quirky dog’, Shady: “There are days, which thankfully are few and far between, that I have a down day. My mum used to say these days are allowed, but you must not set up camp and stay there. “I am fortunate to have my daughters, very good friends…

Former Member
Peer support and cancer: reflections from a Community Champion

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming, and may leave many feeling lost. Peer support can be a lifeline, offering comfort, guidance, and hope. We recently reached out to some of our Community Champions to share their views on peer support, and their experiences in Macmillan’s Online Community. In honour of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Day (27/07), we are going to hear from Beesuit in this blog. She has been a Community champion for 3 years, helping us keep the Head and Neck cancer forum safe and supported. In this blog, Beesuit shares some experiences and wisdom on the importance of peer support, memorable moments in the forum, and invaluable advice for those navigating their cancer journey. The importance of peer support for those affected by cancer “You have Cancer.” You…

Dylan - Online Community Team
Mouth Cancer Action Month

November was a rather busy month for awareness days, weeks and months, and whilst it’s a couple of days late, the following blog recognizes Mouth Cancer Action Month. Here’s one of our Ask An Expert dentists, Judith and Lynsey, to share with you some information and tips on coping with mouth cancer. Mouth problems are a common side effect of head and neck cancer and its treatment. Getting support from a dental professional early in the process can really help to minimise discomfort and improve your quality of life. Before treatment – get a specialist assessment: If you’ve been diagnosed with head and neck cancer, you will likely be referred to a specialist clinic for a full dental assessment before treatment starts. This clinic will likely continue seeing you during and after treatment…

Former Member
What you wish you had known – cancer and farming communities

As part of Macmillan’s work with farming and rural communities the Online Community team have been working with The Farming Communities Network (FCN). You can find more information about the partnership in Macmillan's blog here . Macmillan are committed to making cancer care fairer for everyone. This includes making sure that everyone has access to the right cancer support and encouraging people to seek help sooner. We want to make sure that the support available in our Online Community reaches people in farming and rural communities. To start the conversation, we have asked people from Farming Community Network what they wish they had known when they have been affected by cancer. Advice for farmers, from farmers living with cancer “For many people, speaking with other farmers can be…

Steph - Online Community Team
Thinking about volunteering?

National Volunteers’ Week is a great time to think about whether it’s something you’re interested in doing. Volunteering isn’t for everyone or just might not suit your situation at the moment, and that’s okay. However, if you feel it might be something fun to do, volunteering can be great for our wellbeing. As a previous Macmillan volunteer, I want to bust some myths about what it’s like to volunteer and help you decide what’s right for you. Myth: Volunteering takes up a lot of time It’s a common misconception that lots of us think that we don’t have time to volunteer. Many people think of volunteering like having a part-time job, where you might be required to dedicate lots of time each week. However, it’s important to remember that volunteering is not a job. While a charity might ask…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Planned maintenance - Thursday 10th September, 6am-10am

Hi everyone, Due to some planned maintenance on the main Macmillan website, www.macmillan.org.uk , the Online Community will enter a read-only mode between 6:00am and 10:00am on Thursday 10 th September. The main Macmillan website (macmillan.org.uk) will also be unavailable from 6:00am-10:00am. This means that you will not be able to log in or post on the Online Community during this time. You will still be able to read posts and blogs on the site. If you feel you need some support while the Online Community is unavailable, please remember our Support Line is here for you. Our teams are available 8am-8pm, 7 days a week on freephone 0808 808 00 00 , or by email or webchat . Thank you for your continued patience as Macmillan continues to update and improve our online services. If you…

Eliza -Online Community Team
Online Community downtime: Wednesday 31st May 2023- 7.30am to 9am

There is some planned maintenance taking place on Macmillan’s website on Wednesday 31st May, from 7.30am-9am. So that this essential maintenance can take place, the Online Community will experience some downtime. This means that members will not be able to log in, or join the Online Community, between 7.30am - 9am on Wednesday 31st May 2023. We know how important the Community is as a source of support for our members, so we always do our best to ensure the site is not unavailable for any longer than necessary. Please know that while the site is down, although you will not be able to create an account, log into the site or post, you will still be able to view the Community and read posts and discussions for support. We understand that this may impact members who rely on the Online Community…

Su - Macmillan
World Mental Health Day 2018

Today's World Mental Health Day (10/10/2018), so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with the Online Community some tips on dealing with difficult emotions, and generally improving your mental wellbeing. Whether you have cancer, care for someone with cancer or someone close to you has cancer, a diagnosis can bring with it a myriad of emotions: Anger Shock Disbelief Anxiety Guilt and blame Sadness Fear and uncertainty Loss of control, independence and confidence … and many more. There’s no right or wrong way to feel; everyone’s different and may feel differently at different stages of a diagnosis. You might often feel confused about what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling this way - you might have frequent mood swings too. Many people go through varying emotions…

Former Member