Wigtownshire Women and Cancer (WWAC) is a small volunteer-led group, which was set up in 2018 by a small group of local women who had experienced a cancer journey.

As Wigtownshire is a largely rural area, much of which is over 70 miles away from the main town of Dumfries, where many of the region’s health and other services are centralised. This means that people affected by cancer across Wigtownshire are forced to make many journeys to and from Dumfries, Edinburgh and Glasgow to access treatment which places additional stress and pressure on the person affected, their families and carers.

When we founded WWAC, our main aim was to provide peer support to local people affected by cancer throughout their journey, and to help make cancer services and support more accessible. Since 2018, we have grown from strength to strength, supported by our dedicated team of volunteers, and with the support of organisations, businesses and the wider communities of Wigtownshire.

Our work is now focused around supporting the wellbeing of people affected by cancer and their families and carers:

• reducing isolation by connecting them to others in a similar situation
• helping alleviate the significant stress (and cost) that a cancer journey can bring
• signposting to useful, practical information, advice, support and resources
• providing respite for families
• supporting self-management and sharing experiences on how to keep as physically and mentally well as possible before, during and after cancer treatment.

The rest of our work centres around raising awareness and challenging stigma, to ensure that people know about our work and can easily access our services, and to create cancer-friendly communities where cancer is not a taboo subject, and where supportive conversations about cancer can be had freely.

We also strive to ensure that the voice and influence of people with an experience of cancer is increased, not least in relation to the planning and delivery of health services.