
The Living Tree is a registered charity which offers friendship, creative activities & holistic therapies, relevant diet & lifestyle information for anyone with any cancer. We offer mutual support, helping people cope with the fear, anxiety, isolation or stress that cancer can bring by offering a chance to unwind and share laughter (we do a lot of this!) and coping strategies. We also share our knowledge and information about services and resources in the locality.
There is currently no cancer care centre in Dorset to help people living with cancer take back control of their health and lifestyle. Our nearest centres are The Force in Exeter and the Penny Brohn Centre in Bristol. There are excellent disease specific support groups, usually supported by Clinical Nurse Specialists, but few are very local and some are quite a distance away in Poole.
MacMillan made a video of the Living Tree, its members, its activities and the way it works in the summer of 2019. Please watch it here.
We have a programme of speakers and therapists on a wide variety of relevant topics such as complementary therapies, exercise, relaxation, diet and nutrition, creative arts for those with cancer, NHS support. We’ve had talks and demonstrations on Dorset Cancer Care, acupuncture, reflexology, soul midwives, diet and nutrition, homeopathy and tried out Qigong, as well as paper crafts, mindfulness, singing and playing the ukulele! We have regular gentle stretch & relaxation times. Please find our current programme (plus a few local events we think might be of interest) here.

The Living Tree was set up in October 2012. We became a small “community group” in July 2016. We were given a start-up grant for 2013 by Macmillan Cancer Support. The Living Tree became a charity in March 2020, our registered charity number is: 1188213
Past Events
15 mile Stepping Out Strollathon in April 2018
FUNDRAISING. Message from the Amazing Roz: “On 28/29 April, we are taking part in a 15 mile Stepping Out Strollathon. Rita, Phil and I are going to work out a route to include places of local interest and a pub or two. This could be over two days and I hope that as...
Sponsored climb up Mount Kilimanjaro
Anna Willmore and her husband Stewart are doing a sponsored climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in February. Here is the link to the JustGiving page for the event. Anna and Stewart have generously said that they would like the funds raised to go towards Stepping Out. This is...
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE day in Bristol, 2 February 2018
New Options for Managing Chronic Pain & Fatigue using an Integrative Model of Care at Engineers’House, Bristol on Friday 2nd February 2018. Details:...
Jmble Sale on 20 January 2018
JUMBLE SALE. We have been invited by Bridport/St Vaast Twinning Association to share a JUMBLE SALE with them on Saturday 20th January 10am-12.00 at Bridport United Church Hall. So if you are clearing out over Christmas, please put aside any good quality clothes,...
Colmer’s Hill Fashion Show, October 2017
Christmas Cheer 2016
Attending Bradpole Fair 2017
Friday afternoons at the Friends’ Meeting House
Friday afternoons are busy at the Living Tree. There are art workshops, discussions, talks and much more. and if all else fails, there is tea and biscuits and an ear for those who just want to share experiences or pick someone's brain on a cancer-related issue. Here...
Apple Day October 2017
Apple Day in Bridport.
Amblers’ walk to Eype in October 2017
Combining exercise with culture!
Jo Perfect’s Birthday party at Bridport Leisure Centre
Perfect in every way!
The Living Tree at the Bull, 50s Evening
On 19 October 2017, The Living Tree hosted an evening themed "Bridport in the 1950s" at the Bull Hotel.