New weekly podcast launched to support cancer patients across Cornwall

A Cornwall broadcaster who survived multiple cancer relapses has launched a weekly podcast to support those living with cancer across the county, backed by nearly £20,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The Project

The Cornwall Cancer Cafe Podcast is a free weekly audio podcast aimed at patients, their families and friends. It is produced by Winning Against Cancer CIC and hosted on cancercafepodcast.org, as well as on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, where it can be found by searching “Cornwall Cancer Cafe Podcast”.

The show is led by broadcaster Matthi Clarke, who has previously read the news on Pirate FM, Atlantic FM, Heart Radio and Radio Plymouth, and has recently started presenting a Sunday show on Cornwall’s Rewind Radio. He is joined by co-presenter Emma Coombe, with Cancer Support UK CEO Mark Guymer also making regular appearances.

Matthi’s Story

Matthi, 56, from Camborne, knows firsthand what a cancer diagnosis feels like. He was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Spring 2022, and after an initial course of chemotherapy, relapsed later that same year. A second round of chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant followed in 2023, but he relapsed from that too.

At Christmas 2023, he was placed on a then-brand-new treatment called Glofitimab. He completed that third-line treatment in August 2024 and has been in remission since, though 2025 brought further challenges in the form of pneumonia and a collapse of his immune system.

He was treated at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and Derriford Hospital, and received support through Macmillan Cancer Support at the Cove in Truro.

“It has been a long haul in recovery from blood cancer which has affected every part of my life,” Matthi said. “I learned lots about myself and those around me. Now, I want to give back as I rebuild my life.”

What to Expect

The podcast draws on Matthi’s radio experience to deliver, in his words, “an easy-listening podcast which can be there for patients, families and friends whenever they need it.” None of the presenting team have clinical training, but all bring personal lived experience to the project.

Over the coming year, the show will feature interviews with people who have had their own cancer experiences, as well as those working in support roles. As Matthi puts it: “We will always remember that every person is different, as is every cancer experience.”

The aim, he says, is straightforward: “This is about using podcasting to give those with a diagnosis, as well as those supporting them, a big virtual hug.”

Cornwall Cancer Cafe Podcast is available now at cancercafepodcast.org and on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.