Ashington’s Civic Head, Cllr Caroline Ball paid a visit to the weekly Wellbeing Wednesday session at Hirst Welfare Centre, Alexandra Road, to meet the team behind the group and hear how a grant from Ashington Town Council will help local people affected by cancer.

The session is run by Wansbeck Community Links, a small team of Community Link Workers (social prescribers) employed by Cygnus Support, a local counselling charity working in partnership with Wansbeck Primary Care Network. Alongside one-to-one support for patients of the Seaton Park medical group, the team runs a full programme of free community activities open to everyone — helping to reduce health inequalities and social isolation across the area.