The Cancer Society’s Zoe Arden and local physiotherapist Vicky Hill are offering a fortnightly walk for those who have been diagnosed with or are recovering from cancer to walk and talk.
"There is currently no cancer support group running, and there needs to be," Miss Hill said.
"A lot of my patients say that a coffee group is too intimidating to start with but coming to my exercise classes is great, because they focus on the exercise then the conversations with others naturally evolve."
Miss Hill runs a Pink & Steel group, which is funded exercise classes for recovering cancer patients. It was in this group she realised the need to get those people together, while being active and sharing stories.
"I want to help bring more people together to support each other than I can do in my cancer rehab Pilates classes ... this also gives my class participants something to continue with after they finish."
She said often talking groups could intimidate people, as they were not ready to tell their stories. But a walking group offered a no-pressure environment.
"The focus is on the walking, conversations can evolve naturally so hopefully less intimidating for people newly diagnosed and coming to terms."
Miss Arden has tried to run a talk group through the Cancer Society, and found not many showed up for those same reasons.
"One lady fairly recently diagnosed, she didn’t want to go to a support group and have to talk as she didn’t think she was ready. She enjoyed the exercise and enjoyed meeting the others.
"The fact the focus is on the exercise, the conversations flow after that."
The group will meet at Wanaka’s lakefront fortnightly on Wednesdays to walk, have coffee and share the load where they can.
"It is just nice to talk to other people about cancer who get it," Miss Hill said.
