'Book club has helped me cope with cancer'

A woman says a book club for cancer patients has helped her to cope with the disease.

Florence Moore, from Boston, was invited to join the Lincolnshire-wide group, which meets online, after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023.

She said the free books, which are sent to members monthly, had helped her to take her mind off the cancer by escaping "away into this other world".

Annie Theed, a Macmillan care co-ordinator, founded the club to help patients feel less isolated. She said: "We have created an atmosphere where people feel relaxed and can talk openly."

Ms Moore, an activities co-ordinator at a Boston care home, described how she "kept thinking about cancer all the time" before joining the club.

"I was sent my first book, which was set in the 1800s," she said. "It was brilliant reading it, as it took me away from my situation."

She added: "I'd forgotten how much I liked reading. I was being sent books that I wouldn't normally buy, yet I read every one and always got something from it."

The club, which was set up during the Covid-19 pandemic to help patients keep in touch with carers and one another, holds virtual meetings, allowing anyone in Lincolnshire with a cancer diagnosis to join.

It is funded by the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity.

Ben Petts, a manager for the charity, said: "The cost of a book could be a lot for some families to find each month. By providing this funding, we have ensured the book club is inclusive to everyone."

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