A cancer support group welcomed an author give the first of a series of presentations on health and wellbeing.

Dr Jo Cotton, a co-founder of The Living Tree, welcomed Anne Allen to talk about her latest book The Inheritance.

It was the first of several presentations which will take place over the next few months with either a health angle or by a writer with an interest in a subject related to wellbeing.

These events have been arranged with the help of Annette Shaw, a freelance journalist and member of the Guild of Health Writers who lives in Bridport. She is also the Books Editor for Devon Life Magazine.

Annette said: "The benefits of reading are well-documented. From gentle escapism to self-help, picking up a book is wholly positive."

Jo said: "Some people find it's harder to concentrate or find the right books during cancer treatment. Lighter reads can be helpful, particularly those with a positive message or ones that leave the reader feeling uplifted."

As part of her presentation, Anne discussed her work as a psychotherapist, a career she started following a tragedy in her own life.

Future dates in this series of talks can be found on The Living Tree website and will include Axe Valley's Laurence Anholt, who will demonstrate how mindfulness can have a place in the police force.

His debut crime novel, The Art of Death, features many local locations.

Sheila Norton will bring The Pet Shop at Pennycombe Bay. Finally, Kathryn Haydon will present her medical romance Prognosis Guarded.

Kathryn spent all her adult life in nursing, the past 13 years in the field of palliative care. Her hope is that in a gentle, unobtrusive way, she leads readers to a better understanding of what hospices can offer, dispelling misconceptions about life-limiting illness.

The Living Tree meets weekly from 2-4.30pm on Friday afternoons at the Friends Meeting House, South Street, Bridport.

For more information, visit thelivingtree.org.uk