PEOPLE affected by cancer are being offered a free support group for the first time in Brentwood.

Created by a former doctor and nurse who have been affected by the disease, Tea and Talk at Toby’s is for anyone struggling with cancer, including family and carers.

Held at the Toby Carvery in Shenfield Common, Ingrave Road, the group will meet on the first Monday of each month from 10am.

It has been set up by Anne Bender, a retired St Francis Hospice nurse, and Eric Watts, a former Basildon Hospital haematology consultant.

Ms Bender said: “There are a lot of people in the area who have cancer, and it’s not always easy for them to get the support they need.

“We want to help relieve the anguish they suffer from, to allow them to network, and to help signpost them to the right place for support.”

Ms Bender has lost her mother and 11 friends to cancer over the past 20 years.

Mr Watts, 68, of Park Way, Shenfield, contracted a spinal tumour aged 12, which later spread to his lungs.

During the 60s, many patients were not told if they had a serious diagnosis such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or dementia.

Mr Watts was 19 when he discovered he had suffered from cancer after having a sneak look through his own medical records while training to be a doctor.

He said: “When I was young and ill I was in this tremendous pain but didn’t know why.

“Doctors kept us in the dark back then, but as I got older I began to suspect I had suffered cancer.”

“When I got older I started piecing it together.

“It was a hard time because there was nobody to really talk to, and it is important for people to have the opportunity to discuss their symptoms with each other.

“It is a validating experience.”

The next support group will take place on Monday, October 3 and last two hours.

Visitors can stay for as long as they wish and contribute as much as they feel comfortable with.

For more information, call 07552 503487 or email teatalkattobys@outlook.com.