Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance is training staff at gyms, yoga studios, leisure centres, and other health and wellbeing settings in the region to encourage their customers to attend their cervical cancer screening appointments, and educate them about the symptoms of the disease during January – Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
The Cancer Alliance has delivered free Cancer Champions training to staff members in low screening take-up areas in Humber and North Yorkshire, and will continue to do so throughout the month, in a bid to raise awareness among communities.
This training is designed to equip the staff with the skills to have conversations about cervical cancer with their customers. By taking part, staff at these gyms, leisure centres, and yoga studios can raise awareness about cervical cancer symptoms and reduce barriers which may stop customers from booking their screening appointment.
Jeanette Coupland, a personal trainer at Gymophobics Hull, a women’s only gym, jumped at the chance to be involved in the campaign.
She said: “As a personal trainer, supporting women to look after their health is a huge part of my role, so I was really keen to get involved in this campaign.
“Cervical screening is something many people feel nervous about or put off, but having open conversations in familiar places like gyms can make a real difference.
“If sharing information and encouraging just one person to attend their screening helps catch cancer early or even save a life, then it’s absolutely worth it.”
Other gyms, yoga studios, and leisure centres taking part in the campaign include:
- Barbelle Scarborough
- NL Active (North Lincolnshire Council)
- Live Well (East Riding Yorkshire)
- Hull’s Strongest
- Claire Roach, yoga instructor at the Attic Medi Spa (Grimsby)
- The Stretch Zone Mind Gym (Grimsby)
Click here to view the full list of participating gyms and fitness centres.
Two women die of cervical cancer in the UK every day, yet almost every case is preventable. The best way to reduce your risk of cervical cancer is to attend your cervical screening appointment if you are invited.
However in some parts of Humber and North Yorkshire – a region which includes the cities of Hull and York, along with rural areas across East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and North and North East Lincolnshire – as few as four in 10 women or people with a cervix attend their cervical screening appointment (compared to a national average of almost seven on 10).
All women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 are invited by letter to attend a cervical screening appointment to check the health of their cervix. It can be uncomfortable, but not as painful as people might fear. The actual examination takes just a minute (the entire appointment takes just 10 minutes) and could save your life.
Cervical screening helps to prevent cervical cancer by checking for a virus called high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes nearly all cervical cancers. This means any cervical cell abnormalities can be treated. If left untreated, these cells can develop into cancer.
Dr Tami Byass, a GP at Eastgate Medical Group, Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, said: “My message to women and people with a cervix is to please attend your cervical screening appointment when invited and see your GP if you have any concerning symptoms. It is also important to know what is normal for you, so you can spot signs of cervical cancer in the earliest stages.
“Some of the main symptoms to be aware of are vaginal bleeding that is unusual for you – including bleeding during or after sex, between your periods or after the menopause, or heavier periods than usual; pain during sex; and changes to your vaginal discharge.”
Emma Jones, 40, an A&E housekeeper at Hull Royal Infirmary, received an HPV-positive result after her cervical screening in 2021, and was then diagnosed with stage two cervical cancer. Emma had lost her mother to cancer, but following chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy, she was declared cancer-free in 2022.
Emma said: “I know how busy life can be, but please, don’t miss your cervical screening appointments. My body was telling me something wasn’t right. I was bleeding during or after sex, and I was so tired. So, I went to see my GP and had a screening. If I hadn’t listened to my body and asked for a screening, I might not be here now.”
Visit HNY Cancer Alliance’s website to find out more about the campaign, and how you can help to promote awareness among your community.
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