Helping you find the positivity for your letters

We know that right now finding the positivity for your letter is not easy but we also know that connecting with someone living with cancer is more needed than ever. So here are our 5 tips to help you write an uplifting letter and bring a smile

1. Go to a place which isn't now

Delve into your memory and re-tell a story which makes you smile - a childhood memory, a holiday, a funny dating disaster, getting your first car.

2. Share your best pet anecdote

We've all got one - the naughty dog, a greedy cat, your best friend.

3. Steal someone else's words

Pop a poem into a card and write 'Thinking of you.' We've been loving Bill Bilston's poetry recently.

UnWanted Item

Excuse me, is this the returns counter?

I'd like a refund for this year

or to exchange it for another one,

with less boredom, death and fear.

Sorry, I haven't got a receipt for it.

You see, I got it as a gift.

Not the kind of year I'd have picked myself.

Not my colour. Doesn't fit.

4. Lose yourself in the anecdote of your favourite relative or friend

Sharing your story will trigger memories in your letter reader and take them to a cherished memory.

5. Write a letter to a something rather than someone and pop that into a card

Choose something shiny and write to that - it may be the stars, your shoes or as one of our writers recently did, a hubcap.

"Dear Hubcap,

I wonder why the only time I truly notice you is when you are alone, flung off a speeding car tyre and strewn on a grass verge or in a ditch? Are you unhappy by the onslaught of modern alloy-wheels so beloved by men, so ignored by women? You do bring back memories of my first car..."