We recently celebrated our 25th birthday, and look back proudly knowing we have reached well over 1000 individuals who have participated in our courses.

As time has passed we have become more adept at gathering evidence of our impact, moving from mainly anecdotal evidence to pre and post course surveys gathering quantifiable data, and most recently a long term impact survey. For the long term survey we gathered information on the amazing long lasting positive changes our courses have had on our participants, their families and communities.  Just like a ripple in a pond, the benefits carry on further than we imagined.

This chart shows the percentage increase in the questions asked on our pre and post course questionnaire for our participants in 2019.

We are immensely proud of our participants and all they have achieved; their Odyssey experience has been life affirming and long lasting. For some it has meant a major life change, reaching many areas of life, while for others it is learning to enjoy a new ‘normal’.

From work – with some retraining, taking up full time employment, some choosing to ‘downsize’ their work, going part time, or retiring.

“I tried things I would never normally have tried and realised that life was still full of new possibilities. This has meant I have been far more likely to try something new every day since instead of assuming I can’t; in fact I went back to college and retrained as a counsellor and am now helping other people with their own journeys!”

To volunteering – “I would never have unlocked the strength of spirit that made me go on to volunteer for a disaster relief charity. I have deployed to Malawi and Fiji with them, having never travelled outside of Europe previously.”

To their personal lives – for many it is simply being able to be Mum, Dad, grandparent again – roles that should never be underestimated.

“My husband said it gave him his wife back. It helped me regain confidence and strength and to start living my life, albeit a very new life to the one I had before, again. Thank you xx”

So many simply describe being me again or the new me, now able to move on past cancer and for some with a terminal diagnosis to live it on their terms.

and confidence – the confidence the Odyssey experience has given to many participants is so important; it has enabled them to make decisions in all areas of their life including work, relationships, and cancer treatment.

“It gave me the confidence to start living again, despite the constant fears, it encouraged me to believe in myself and my abilities again, it gave me my life back, albeit a different one. It gave me a new interest too!”

We would be happy to share our Long Term impact report with you.  It can be accessed here.

We leave you with the words of our 2018 participants.  A wordcloud created using the post course survey on the benefits and changes following the Odyssey programme.