Leaders of a regional project to raise awareness about cancer in the community are celebrating after recruiting more than 400 people to the cause.

The project lead by Lingen Davies Cancer Fund was initially launched in 2022 as part of a move by NHS England to address health inequalities. The Core 20+ work to improve the situation for those living in and amongst the country’s most deprived areas was adopted by NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin to address the uptake of cancer screening invitations.

Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, the region’s primary cancer charity, delivered the project in partnership with Qube, an Oswestry-based organisation, to deliver the work in the county. The cancer charity, which this year marks its 45^th anniversary, also launched the project in Powys and has now taken on sole funding for the work throughout Shropshire as well. Health engagement staff have recruited more than 200 people throughout Shropshire and up to 200 people in Powys.

Cancer Champions are recruited and trained in how to engage in conversations about health and cancer among their peers, helping to normalise cancer conversations, and work towards encouraging people to take up health screenings – a vital part of the fight to catch cancer early and bring about the best options for treatment and overall outcomes.

As part of the project a series of multi-lingual videos were produced to enable key messaging about breast, cervical and bowel cancer to reach as many people in the county as possible – particularly amongst those communities less likely to take up cancer screening invitations.

Cancer Champions are invited to regular meetings where they share their feedback with staff about some of the reasons people don’t take up screenings. This information is shared with NHS colleagues with the intention of shaping future work and cancer promotion.

Miranda Ashwell, LiveLife Cancer Awareness Lead for Lingen Davies, said: “We are overwhelmed at the number of people eager to talk to us about becoming Cancer Champions and taking their knowledge, skills, and training back into use in their own communities.

“The Cancer Champions project is about encouraging people to talk, to bring cancer into everyday conversation. Cancer conversations save lives,” she added.

If you would like to learn more about the initiative or become a Cancer Champion, please visit https://www.cancerchampions.co.uk/

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