World Cancer Day is marked on 4 February each year, and 2025’s theme is ‘United by Unique’.
This year we are highlighting how you can get the support you need, and how together we can help everyone affected by cancer.
Anne Tomlinson, Lead Nurse Cancer and End of Life Care at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “Here at the Trust, we are reaching out into the community to try to improve cancer awareness and address health inequalities.”
Education and information are vital. To that end, on World Cancer Day itself, Michelle Davis, Macmillan Cancer Information Centre Deputy Manager, and the Colorectal CNS team will be attending the Sahara Centre in Preston – a voluntary organisation working predominantly for the benefit of black and minority ethnic (BME) women - for an awareness event.
Michelle will be holding a general cancer awareness and information stall, while the Colorectal Team will distribute information regarding bowel cancer, signs and symptoms, bowel screening and the importance of the test. They will also be able to answer any questions or concerns from the local community.
This is continuing the ongoing work with local communities, to encourage them to undertake screening, be aware of what to look out for, and what support is available.
The Macmillan Information Centre has also recently started a drop-in session at the Rosemere Cancer Centre, twice a month, which is held by Tasneem Jogiyat from the Preston Muslim Forum.
This is to provide support for people and their families during cancer treatment. It is a supportive role, giving people the chance to speak with someone from a similar background, who can understand what they are going through. This can help overcome any language barriers and cultural differences.
These sessions continue the work of the Macmillan Information Centre, which, across 2024, organised 24 community events attended across Lancashire, including at Southport Flower Show, James Hall Distribution, the Sahara and Windrush Centre, HMP Wymott and UCLan, reaching over 675 people to raise awareness.
In 2024, the Trust’s Cancer Education department ran 23 education events, attended by delegates from across Lancashire and South Cumbria, including primary care and third sector organisations. The biggest event was the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Education Hub’s fifth regional Cancer Conference at Lancaster University, with 250 delegates attending.
There have also been five Clinical Reference Group Education Events, five Advanced Communication Skills training courses, four Enhanced Communication Skills Training Courses, and multiple education days, masterclasses and workshops.
The schedule is just as busy in 2025 – already there has been a Skin Clinical Reference Group (CRG) Education Event and Skin Cancer Awareness Event, and in February there will be a Cancer Support Worker (CSW) Away Day, an Upper GI Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Education Session, and an Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) Away Day. You can find out more about all the Cancer Education Hub's Education Events for 2025 here.
A new programme has also been announced with the Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance, partnering with eight local EFL Club Community Organisations (CCOs) to deliver free Cancer Prehab sessions to cancer patients (18+) preparing for or currently receiving treatment.
Starting in January, the CCOs of Accrington Stanley, Barrow AFC, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool FC, Burnley FC, Fleetwood Town, Morecambe FC, and Preston North End are all offering the two-hour sessions with the goal of improving patients' health and fitness ahead of oncological care or surgery.
The one-year pilot programme is aimed at encouraging patients to be more active as well as offering a chance for social and mental wellbeing support.
Susan Saul, Clinical Lead Physiotherapist for Prehabilitation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “Proven benefits of increasing fitness and optimising health ahead of surgery can include reduced side effects of treatment, a reduced risk of complications, shorter length of stay and a quicker recovery.
“There was very little service in our area, so we were looking at ways to offer prehab across our entire region. In working with all our Football League CCOs, we can do just that. I have been working with the organisations for around 18 months now, and we are all excited to be able to deliver this in January.”
For more details, and for your local session, please click here.
