New breast cancer support group

The women wanted somewhere for breast cancer patients to get advice

A self-help group for people with breast cancer is being started by a group of women in North Devon.

The idea came about when they discovered the only place for people diagnosed with the condition to go to for advice was the local hospice.

Several of them have breast cancer and wanted somewhere they, and others with the illness, could meet for an informal chat over "tea and cake".

Bosom Buddies will be launched at a cafe in Barnstaple on 14 October.

Nicola Osborne, who underwent a mastectomy and lost all her hair while undergoing chemotherapy last year, said: "We really need something for the people in North Devon.

"We've got the hospital and we've got the hospice but they aren't necessarily what people want.

"They just want a group of people that they can speak to, chat to, do something with, share experiences with."

Sheila Flower, who also belongs to the group, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July and is due to embark on an intensive course of radiotherapy.

Emotional impact

Speaking to the BBC about her diagnosis she said: "It's not easy, you try to be positive because you have friends that have gone through it and the results are so much better than they were years ago.

"But I think if people weren't affected emotionally I'd wonder why.

"Somebody that's been through it is going to give you more insight about what you're going to get than any piece of paper can."

The launch of Bosom Buddies coincides with National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.