Small Action, Big Impact

When my friend, Brian Greenley, was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2010, I began to write letters to him, wanting to alleviate the isolation and loneliness which so often comes with a cancer diagnosis, as friends and family are paralysed by the fear of saying the wrong thing and so say nothing. Throughout Brian’s treatment I wrote over 100 letters; those letters changed both our lives.
When the BBC picked up our story, such was the impact, we set up the charity From Me to You. Every year we deliver thousands of donated, anonymous letters to cancer patients in UK hospitals and cancer centres.
Our workshops (online and in-person) encourage and inspire people to stay connected to loved ones and strangers via the simple letter. Our Donate A Letter programme hosts hundreds of people writing anonymous letters for us to deliver to those living with cancer, as we work directly with hospitals and partner charities.
We work with organisations, corporates and community groups, using letter writing as a teambuilding resource with the additional benefit that individuals can continue the experience outside the workplace.
Letter writing gives the writers an altruistic sense of doing something for someone else but much more than that, it allows them a period of creativity, reflection and inner mental calm. Many of our writers, after writing for our Donate A Letter programme, find the confidence to connect with loved ones living with cancer. And many of our letter recipients become letter writers.
Presentation Format: Small Action, Big Impact
• Tell our story
• Highlight the wellbeing aspects of involvement in the charity
• Inspire with short videos of impact on recipients and letter content
• Each attendee to receive a postcard for a short, guided writing exercise
• Q&A