Right Now charity campaign urges SW to help beat cancer

A new awareness and fundraising campaign urging people in the South West to take action ‘Right Now’ in the fight against cancer is being launched this Christmas by Cancer Research UK.

The powerful ‘Right Now’ campaign aims to shine a light on the men, women and children facing cancer every day and features real people in emotional TV, poster and radio adverts.

It launches as figures released by Cancer Research UK show that more people are being diagnosed with cancer but - thanks to research - the risk of dying from the disease is decreasing.

In the South West, cancer incidence rates have increased by three per cent in the past 10 years*, but mortality rates have decreased by almost a tenth (eight per cent) in the same period**.

The ‘Right Now’ campaign highlights the reality of cancer, and the importance of research, with a new series of documentary-style films which launch on Boxing Day and will be on air during Christmas and the New Year.

The films bring together the real-life experiences of patients and their loved ones, researchers and medical staff. The raw, honest and unscripted stories include moments of diagnosis, treatment and test results.

Every day, around 84 people are diagnosed with cancer in the South West.

Cancer Research UK hopes the ‘Right Now’ campaign will inspire people in the region to take action right now and help fund the charity’s life-saving work.

Across the UK, the latest figures**** released by Cancer Research UK show that four hundred thousand fewer people will die from cancer over the next 20 years, thanks to advances in research.

For every 100,000 people in the UK, 331 died from cancer in 2014. But by 2035, this number is predicted to drop to 280 per 100,000 people.

This decrease is largely due to improvements in detection, diagnosis and treatments. Without these advances in research, cancer death rates would have continued to rise.

Alison Birkett, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South West, said: “People across the South West hear the words ‘you have cancer’ every day. Our campaign aims to highlight the huge emotional and physical impact that those words have on a patient and their loved ones.

“Right now, Cancer Research UK doctors, nurses and scientists are working hard to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. But we can’t do it alone. We hope our campaign inspires people to take action, right now, and play their part in helping to beat cancer sooner.”
One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Survival has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK. But to help accelerate this progress, Cancer Research UK needs everyone in the South West to act right now.

Alison continued: “There are so many ways to get involved. From signing up to Race for Life, donating items to one of our shops or giving time to volunteer. Every action - big or small - can help to make a real difference in the fight against cancer. We’re calling on people in the South West to show their support today.”

For more information on how to help beat cancer sooner visit www.cruk.org