Fleetwood Town Community Trust’s Cancer Prehab Programme is more than just a form of exercise — for many, it is a lifeline.

The Trust’s flagship initiative supports people living with cancer by combining tailored exercise with social and emotional support, helping to improve both physical and mental wellbeing throughout treatment.

When participant Carol Welsh received her life-altering diagnosis, she was told she had just months to live. Despite the devastating news, she remained positive throughout her treatment and discovered the Trust’s sessions, where she rediscovered her zest for life before responding well to treatment and going into remission.

“When you are given a diagnosis — and a serious one — when you’ve just done the ‘Couch to 5K’ and didn’t think there was anything wrong with you, to then be told you have a few months to live… But I’m here. Cancer free. Wow.

“I chose to fight for my life, if you will. And here I am.”

Another participant, Joanna Bradshaw, highlighted the powerful sense of community the programme fosters — removing isolation by bringing together like-minded individuals who share similar experiences.

“I’m blessed because not everybody is that lucky. My treatment is working, and I’m living a decent quality of life,” Joanna said.

“The other people here make the difference. Obviously, the instructor Tony is really good, but it’s the camaraderie with everyone else as well — being alongside patients who are in the same situation as you and understand what you’re going through.”

Since launching in January 2025, the Cancer Prehab Programme has proven to be a significant success.

Julie Summers from the Macmillan Centre for Information and Support believes that sense of togetherness is transformative: “After the hour’s exercise, they go downstairs, have a coffee, and it gives them the opportunity — if they’ve got any concerns or want support — to just chat. But what we’re finding more than anything now is that they are providing peer support to one another, and it has really made a massive difference to their mental wellbeing.”

Fleetwood Town Community Trust’s Cancer Prehab Programme stands as a powerful reminder that facing cancer is not only a physical battle, but an emotional one too. By combining expert guidance with genuine human connection, it continues to make a lasting difference — helping people not only to cope, but to fight, to believe and, ultimately, to live well.

Bradshaw concluded: “I feel like I’m doing something to hopefully help one person. I feel like I’ve done something.”

Cancer Prehab initiative supporting patients through treatment

Cancer Prehab initiative supporting patients through treatment