Helping people affected by cancer in the Welsh Valleys

In Wales’ former coalfield communities, people look out for each other. But a cancer diagnosis can also bring practical pressures — from transport and paperwork to navigating local support — at the moment families need reassurance most. 

The Next Steps for the Valleys report (2025) highlights just how stark the health picture can be. Average life expectancy in the Valleys is two years less than the average for Wales and for Great Britain. The report also shows that 8.5% of residents aged 16+ report ‘bad or very bad’ health (compared with 6.9% across Wales) and that 13.3% of all residents claim disability benefits (DLA/PIP), compared with 10.5% across Wales. 

That’s why we’re working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support through the CRT Together programme. Our link workers provide tailored, non-clinical support for people affected by cancer — including families and carers — across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Aneurin Bevan health board areas. 

Cynthia is one of the people supported through CRT Together. She needed help applying for a Blue Badge, and wasn’t sure what local support was available or how to navigate the process. 

We talked Cynthia through the paperwork she would need and linked her with an appointment at a local Citizens Advice service — including making her aware of local drop-in sessions she didn’t know existed. 

The main impact was practical reassurance: helping Cynthia understand what support was available locally and giving her confidence to move through the process with less stress. 

Working together, CRT and Macmillan — alongside local VCSE partners, health and social care professionals, and local authorities — are helping to tackle the systemic health inequalities experienced by former coalfield communities. We look forward to working with the next Welsh Government to expand our support for people living with poor health. 

If you want to talk about cancer support in Wales’s former coalfield communities, contact the CRT Wales team: 
Message via coalfieldsregen.uk/contact