Launch of the new Flourish Magazine

Launch of the new Flourish Magazine

The Nourish Issue

Hello and welcome to the first issue of Flourish Magazine, a brand new magazine by and for the cancer community from integrative cancer care charity Yes to Life and creative health charity  Artlift, who are based in Gloucestershire.

This issue’s theme is ‘Nourish’, exploring how we find nourishment whilst living with and beyond cancer.

When I began work on the magazine, it was clear to me that there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to cancer and that it was important the content of the magazine reflected this. A cancer diagnosis is a life changing moment for all involved, its impact rippling beyond the person receiving it to our friends, family and colleagues, but how we feel and respond to it will be different for each individual. Whether it’s a support group, a massage, exercise, food or a creative activity like art or writing, cancer in all its bleakness can offer the opportunity to discover how best to nourish ourselves through difficult times.

Through an open call for submissions on this theme, we painstakingly whittled them down to this final selection, which features everything  from the hilarious to the heartbreaking, because of course, how we experience cancer is as complex and unique as we are.

Some of the pieces are therefore challenging and we felt it was important not to shy away from this, but have provided content warnings so that readers can choose what they feel able to engage with.

You’ll be able to find a physical copy of the magazine across Gloucestershire (see the full list below), and alongside the print magazine (available to view digitally here FLOURISH-ISSUE-ONE-DIGITAL) we are releasing weekly digital content submitted through our open call such as film and blog posts, released weekly on the Artlift and Yes to Life websites over the coming months.

You can see our first digital piece on the Artlift blog here

We are now accepting submissions for the next issue of Flourish, released in September, which is on the theme of ‘Connections. Our submissions are open to all regardless of background or experience and we encourage you to submit.

Submit to the second issue of Flourish Magazine

It was an honour to put this magazine together and I hope you find its content as inspiring, thought-provoking and nourishing as I did. We’d love to hear your feedback – you can complete a quick survey here telling us what you thought. This helps us to plan future magazines and better support the cancer community.

Thank you for reading!

Natalie Beech

Editor-in-Chief of Flourish Magazine