Bristol insurance broker John Sandifer is relishing the simple joys of life – despite suffering from bowel cancer.

Mr Sandifer, aged 62, who lives in Redfield with his wife and full-time carer, Pauline, is determined to stay positive and enjoy living.

He has been given some practical methods to help him deal with the disease through outreach sessions held by Penny Brohn Cancer Care, a charity based at Pill.

Mr Sandiford said: "It's been absolutely fantastic. We've met so many people who are going through similar things to us right now and we've got a lot of useful information out of these sessions.

"Everyone responds to living with cancer in a different way.

"Our approach is to stay positive and relish the simple joys of life, whether it's relishing a nice cup of coffee or walking around Barcelona.

"I'm living with cancer, I'm not dying at this moment, and I think appreciating this can help make a huge difference to how you live out your life.

"I want to be able to live my life as well as I can."

Mrs Sandifer, 52, said: "We want to squeeze in as much of the 20 years we thought we had together as we can. The Penny Brohn outreach course has given us a lot of support and we've met some great people. I even delayed our family holiday until the course was completed as I really felt this was something important that we needed to do.

"We want to draw on every resource available to make the most of our time together."

During the 10-week course, the couple learnt plenty of ways to help them live well and enjoy their time together. Among the information was healthy eating advice, relaxation techniques and basic reflexology self-help tips.

The charity, formerly known as the Bristol Cancer Help Centre, has been taking its world-renowned 'Bristol Approach' out from its Pill base to several locations closer to people's homes.

The outreach programme was launched five years ago and has been available in Hartcliffe, Withywood, Pill, and Clevedon free of charge, but more recently the sessions have started in Easton, Whitchurch and Barton Hill.

Sherry Santer, a community group facilitator for Penny Brohn Cancer Care, has run three groups for the charity, two in Hartcliffe and one in Barton Hill.

She said: "These sessions are a huge relief as they allow the participants to be able to talk about cancer openly.

"Many people living with cancer often feel very isolated and so it helps to meet other people in a similar situation.

"Contrary to what people might expect, there is a lot of laughter and warmth amongst group members, as well as times when people are more serious, sad and fragile."

For more information about Penny Brohn Cancer Care, visit www.pennybrohncancercare.org or call 0845 123 23 10.