40 years in the heart of Carmarthenshire

Every year, our passionate Friends of Tenovus Cancer Care groups arrange an array of events to raise money for us at Tenovus Cancer Care. From bingo and quiz nights, cake and bake sales, raffles, coffee mornings and trips, they give their time voluntarily and have become an integral part of their community. Some of the groups date as far back as World War II. We caught up with Rhian Llewellyn, Treasurer of Llandybie Friends of Tenovus Cancer Care, Carmarthenshire.

How and when did the group start?

It all began in 1981, with a talk about Tenovus Cancer Care for the Llandybie Women’s Institute. This inspired the vicar’s wife to invite women from the group to form a committee and ten women volunteered.

We presented our first cheque to Tenovus Cancer Care in 1982 for the princely sum of £371. We continued to meet in each other’s houses, and by 1985 we had raised £4,000. Now, 43 years on, we’ve raised over £200,000.

Is there a moment the group is particularly proud of?

On 24 April 1985, we travelled down to Cardiff and were incredibly proud to hand over a cheque for £3,690. This was going to cover the cost of a new ‘spectrophotometer’ for cancer patients. It was a very special moment.

How has 2024 been and what have you got planned for the rest of the year?

This year has been very busy. In the summer we went to the New Llandovery Motorbike Festival where we had a stall selling a variety of things from Christmas cards to scarves and so much more.

At the end of July, we had an incredibly successful ‘Tea for Ten’ event. We hadn’t done one of these for years, and so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we didn’t have anything to worry about because people arrived by the bucket full. It was held in the Post Office in the Memorial Hall, and we raised over £300.

In September we held an evening with Nigel Owens and Friends at Llandybie Rugby Club. It was such a great night. People came from all over, and we sold 150 tickets. It was a fantastic panel line up, and it was so entertaining that the evening flew by. We raised £6000 with this event!

In October, some of the shops in the village went pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The chemist, Jenkins bakery, Valans restaurant and the Post Office all took part. It’s the first time we’ve done this, and we plan to do it again with more shops next year.

Looking ahead to Christmas, we’ve already started selling cards at the post office. They’re selling so fast that they’ve asked for more!

What motivates you to do this work

It’s a cause very personal to me. My father died of cancer and 17 years ago, I had cancer. Luckily it was caught in time and surgery was enough. When I first joined, it was because I knew somebody who lived nearby who was going to do a PhD with Tenovus Cancer Care. That’s when I first heard about the charity. That person is now a Professor of Neurology.

Tenovus Cancer Care is so important. It offers support lines and counselling. You’d be waiting forever on the NHS for that, so it’s a vital resource. And for rural communities, the Mobile Support Unit helps to ease stress at a very difficult time.