25,000 handwritten letters sent to cancer patients, thanks to charity set up by Dorset woman and her friend

Available for over a year

When was the last time you wrote a letter? Actually put pen to paper, rather than fingers to keyboard. Over the past five years, 25,000 handwritten letters have helped to bring a smile to cancer patients - thanks to a Blandford woman and a man she met by chance whilst on holiday. Alison Hitchcock and Brian Greenley met on a yoga break in 2009. They became, in their words, acquaintances - agreeing to meet up for a drink every now and again once they'd returned home. But when Brian told Alison he had stage three bowel cancer, the pair could've never imagined how her actions would make a difference to the lives of thousands in years to come. Our reporter Charlotte Foot has their story.