A BREAST cancer survivor from Hexham who lost her daughter to the disease is running an art support group.
Frances Davies, 70, recovered from breast cancer after she was diagnosed in 2004 but was left devastated when her 41-year-old daughter lost her life to aggressive triple-negative breast cancer in November 2021.
Her daughter Angharad, a mother-of-two, was first diagnosed in September 2020.
"For my daughter and I to have been diagnosed with breast cancer was a shock and despite 12 months of intensive treatment following a mastectomy Angharad lost her life," said Frances.
Following her own diagnosis Frances, a retired art teacher, joined the Northumberland Cancer Support Group. It was here Frances first met with people from Macmillan Cancer Support and once she recovered following treatment she became a volunteer for the charity, often visiting the Oncology Ward at Hexham General Hospital.
She later established the art group Art4You in 2017 - an art class for people affected by cancer that received additional funding in the form of a Macmillan Grant last year.
"Obviously losing Angharad has been incredibly hard for our family,” said Frances. "But having gone through such trauma puts me in a position to better empathise and understand others going through something similar.
"With the help of Macmillan we continue to provide weekly meetings on a Monday morning at Hexham Abbey, offering a relaxed environment for all those living with the effects of cancer and an interest in art.
"For most who attend it’s a welcome distraction; some focus on the art, for others it’s more of a social experience with people in a similar situation and an opportunity to share and find out more."
Karlee Bowlby, a professional illustrator and artist who also lives in Hexham, is one of the women who attends the class.
She lost her husband Ewan, who was 27, to brain cancer in December.
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"I like coming to Frances’s classes now," she said. "It’s a relaxed space to be around other people who understand cancer and who knew and cared about Ewan, which is a real comfort.
"Ewan was remarkable because he allowed his situation of living with a terminal illness to make him more open and caring, dedicating his life’s work to helping others and working closely with cancer support groups and charities to offer new therapies and resources for people living with cancer."
Andrea Love, engagement lead for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "Northumberland is a rural area where isolation can lead to poor mental health particularly for those living with or affected by this terrible disease.
"Anything that enables people affected by cancer to connect on a regular basis in the way that Art4You in Hexham does, provides a huge opportunity for support in a relaxed and informal setting.
"Anyone affected by cancer with an interest in art and in reasonable travelling distance should consider making contact."
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