Civic buildings in Leeds lit up to raise awareness of cancer screening

Prominent civic buildings in Leeds have been lit up to highlight why taking part in cancer screening is so important.

Leeds Civic Hall, Leeds Town Hall and Leeds City Museum were illuminated in blue and white last week (Thursday 29 September) to help spread the message that screening saves lives.

The national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancer help find early signs of cancer in people without symptoms. Finding cancer at an early stage means treatment is more likely to be successful.

But every year in Leeds, more than 100,000 screening tests are not completed.

Breast screening helps find cancers early when they are too small to see or feel. Bowel screening can both prevent cancer and find it early. It involves a test that can be completed at home.

Cervical screening prevents cancer by finding early cell changes which can then be treated before they have the chance to become cancerous.

Blue and white are the colours of Cancer Wise Leeds, a project that has helped encourage hundreds of people across the city to take part in screening when invited during the past three years.

Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and delivered in partnership by Leeds City Council with support by the Leeds Cancer Programme, the project has also raised awareness of cancer signs, symptoms and risk factors.

Local coordinators have worked closely with GP practices and community groups to provide a range of support to help boost screening participation.

This collaborative work has included providing cervical screening appointments outside traditional GP hours and training to encourage participation among culturally diverse communities.

Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for public health and active lifestyles, said:

“Through the Cancer Wise Leeds project, we have explored a range of different avenues to raise awareness and encourage people from communities right across the city to take part in screening as soon as possible if invited to do so.

“It is fantastic that to support this aim and our wider work, some of the city’s most prominent civic buildings were lit up to help spread the message of why screening is so important. To put it simply, cancer screening saves lives.

“We know that being asked to take part in screening can be daunting, and there can be many different concerns. If you do have any questions, please contact your local GP practice. Staff will be happy to talk you through the process and explain what help or assistance can be provided to you.”