London

Shine London is one of our largest networks, with regular meet ups around the city. Get in touch to find out when our next event is. We’d love to see you.

Contact Shine London at london@shinecancersupport.org

Shine meet upShine London was officially launched as a network way back in 2010! Clare, Jess, Maja and Alison are now our volunteer network leaders. What started as a few people getting together for drinks has now grown to over 400 members!

Shine London offers support to young adults in London living with a cancer diagnosis. We also try to be more than just your average support group and you’re more likely to find us killing it at a pub quiz or taking advantage of east London’s nightlife than sitting quietly discussing our diagnoses.

We try to meet once or twice a month – mixing up evening and daytime meet ups, as well as locations and activities. We always welcome suggestions for things you’d like to do. And we totally understand that attending a meet up can be daunting at first, so we’re happy to meet you beforehand to give you someone to walk in with! We also hold a friends and family picnic in the summer in one of our beautiful parks and an annual fundraiser to help support the activities the network does. Get in touch at london@shinecancersupport.org

Meet the volunteer network leader – Jess

I’m Jess, and I joined the Shine London team in 2017 as I wanted to help more people like me through the amazing work Shine Cancer Support does.  I was lucky to find Shine two months after I was diagnosed with a really rare, chronic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015 called Waldenströms Macroglobulinaemia.  My cancer is most common in elderly men – not my people! The problems that I was facing (fertility, dating, paying a mortgage, working full time etc) didn’t affect them and I felt totally lost – until I found Shine.  Through Shine I’ve met other young people with chronic cancer, and made some incredible friendships.  I no longer feel alone, and I know that whatever my treatment throws at me, one of my Shine friends will have been there already. Chronic cancers are quite different, and although my cancer is incurable, it is treatable.  I live with inflammatory arthritis, fibromyalgia, ulcerative colitis and depression too, so sometimes I practically live at my local hospital! I’ve finished 2.5 years of chemo and am now back on “watch and wait”.  Cancer will always be part of my life, and through my work as a network leader, I hope to help other young people get the support they need from people who really “get it”.

young woman breast cancer

Meet the volunteer network leader – Alison

Hi, I’m Alison and I’ve been hanging out with Shine since 2018 when I attended Shine Connect. I’ve had lots of fun and support from Shine London since then, including my acting debut at our 2019 fundraiser and some excellent carpool karaoke with Claire and Jess on the way to Shine Camp. During lockdown, as someone living alone, there were weeks when I (virtually) saw more of Shine than anyone else with film club and yoga and meet-ups. When cancer hit and ‘friends’ drifted away or carried on their lives as normal, I found a great group of new friends with Shine and am super excited to join the network leaders.

I was diagnosed with hormone-receptive stage 3 breast cancer when I was 31. I had multiple surgeries and chemotherapy, and am now living with all the marvellous side effects of the medicines hopefully keeping my cancer away. Everyone thinks my treatment ended when my hair grew back, but the post chemo-stage has actually been harder in many ways, especially with returning to work and trying to have a social life once more. The Shine “cancer club” get it and are always there to support each other, and I hope as a network leader I can pass this support on to more people.