The cancer patients using tenpin bowling to tackle loneliness

A weekly tenpin bowling group for cancer patients helps tackle loneliness through support, friendship and fun, organisers say.

The sessions, held at Hollywood Bowl Birmingham, were launched in July 2024 by Fiona Whitehouse and have grown into a regular support network for people living with cancer.

What began with only a handful of attendees has developed into a community where members openly discuss treatment, recovery and the emotional effects of cancer.

"It was a space where you could be honest about how you felt, you didn't have to put a show on if you felt down and that was okay," Whitehouse said.

"There is support there and [will] always have support there.

"It's just a place where you can be normal, you can forget about having cancer.

"I mean, the beautiful thing is we get people who've come straight from treatment to the Hollywood Bowl, so it's just a wonderful opportunity."

The bowling sessions are linked to a cancer hub at Green Lane Masjid, funded by Macmillan Cancer Support.

The hub offers further support, including with mental health, along with financial and spiritual guidance, particularly geared towards communities that can be seen as harder to reach.

Sidrah Awan, from the hub, said the bowling events were a great way for people to find a sense of community.

"A lot of people are socially isolated, especially when they get that kind of diagnosis, and they don't feel part of a community sometimes," she said.

"We're seen as a hard-to-reach community but we're not actually hard to reach, it's just things aren't presented in an accessible way for us, so this this initiative has really opened the doors."

Members of the women only group said the sessions have become an important source of friendship and encouragement during treatment.

Icylin Brown was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years ago and again in 2025.

"The bowling meet-ups were just uplifting, because we didn't have to talk about cancer, we could have fun, have laughter, and enjoy the atmosphere," she said.

"Mentally, it's helped me, because you could talk to your family, they can partly understand; whereas if we speak to another cancer patient, we can support one another and advise each other if we're having a good day or a bad day."

Organisers said the focus was not only on support, but also on helping people enjoy themselves and regain confidence outside of a hospital.

"It's like a rave, we just uplift each other, have fun because that's what it's all about," Brown added.

"It's not there to go being depressed, it's about having a laugh, having a joke, sharing, and care."

The meet-ups take place every Tuesday at 12:30, at Hollywood Bowl Broadway Plaza.

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