CANCER RESEARCH UK nurses will be in Newcastle this week with their Cancer Awareness Roadshow supported by Ronan Keating and his family.
The roadshow, which will launch at the Newcastle Trampoline Park between 10am and 4pm on Thursday 28 March, aims to help the public recognise possible signs and symptoms of cancer, and to help people reduce their risk by leading a healthy lifestyle.
There will then be roadshow at Grainger Market roughly every fortnight from Friday 29 March until 22 November* and throughout April, the roadshow will be at Northumbria University on 4 April, Newcastle City Library on 8 April, Newcastle Civic Centre on 10 and 11 April and Grainger Street on 18 April.
Cancer Research UK nurses can provide information about how to help spot cancer earlier – when it is more likely to be treated successfully – and encourage people to go to their GP with any health concerns.
The nurses will also talk to visitors about ways they can help to stack their odds against cancer by making positive health changes like ditching the cigarettes or cutting down on alcohol.
The roadshow is sponsored by the Marie Keating Foundation, which was set up by Ronan Keating and his family, in memory of their mum Marie who died from breast cancer.
Ronan Keating said: “It’s really important that people know to go to their GP if they notice any changes to their bodies that are unusual or persistent. And that there’s lots we can all do to help reduce the risk of cancer.
“The roadshow helps to get these messages out to people as they go about their daily lives in town centres, shopping malls and community centres. My family and I are very proud to support the Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Roadshow and we think our mum would be pleased with the work we are doing.”
Visitors to the roadshow can also learn about healthy eating and take home a portion plate which shows the recommended amounts of salad or vegetables, protein and carbohydrates to try to eat each meal time.
They can also look at props including a tar jar which shows the build-up of tar from smoking 10 cigarettes a day for a year or handle fat lump props which show what 1lb or 5lbs looks like and can be an incentive to lose a few pounds.
Elspeth Dawson, Cancer Research UK Senior Cancer Awareness Nurse in the North East, said: “Experts estimate around 4 in 10 cases of cancer could be prevented each year in the UK.
“We are looking forward to talking to lots of people from Newcastle about the steps they can take to help reduce their risk of cancer through changes like stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake and keeping a healthy weight.”
One topic nurses are keen to draw attention to is bowel cancer as April is bowel cancer awareness month.
Elspeth said: “We can talk visitors through the bowel cancer home screening test and have a replica kit on the roadshow.
“People aged 60-74 years who are registered with a GP will receive an NHS bowel cancer screening kit through the post, every two years.
“Bowel cancer screening is a simple test that can be done in the privacy of your own home. It is designed to detect early signs of bowel cancer, in people without any symptoms.”
Last year over 60,000 people visited one of Cancer Research UK’s four Cancer Awareness Roadshows, which tour the UK. Nurses measured over 3,200 waists and completed almost 4,000 body mass index (BMI) tests which show if someone is a healthy weight range. They also carried out 504 Smokerlyzer tests, which show how much carbon monoxide is in someone’s breath.
The roadshow is part of Cancer Research UK’s continued programme to make health information as accessible as possible to the public and was launched in 2006 supported by the Marie Keating Foundation.
To find out more about how to reduce the risk of cancer and detect it early, visit cruk.org/prevent or cruk.org/spotcancerearly. To find out more about the Cancer Awareness Roadshow visit cruk.org/roadshow or follow the North East Roadshow team on Twitter @CRUKroadshow_NE