The roadshow in action

Cancer awareness roadshow in town

Have any questions or concerns about cancer? Hastings and Rother residents can find out how to make positive changes to their lifestyles and how to spot cancer symptoms earlier at a series of community events in July.

Cancer Research UK is bringing its Cancer Awareness Roadshow to the area, so that local people can talk to a specialist team about the disease and the importance of visiting their GP promptly for early diagnosis. The roadshow, which has been touring the UK since 2006, has so far reached more than 500,000 people, and will visit Hastings and Rother on:

Tuesday 5 July – Devonshire Square, Bexhill

Wednesday 6 July – Ravenside Retail Park, outside Tesco, Bexhill

Thursday 7 July – Kings Road, St Leonards

Friday 8 July – Robertson Street, outside Debenhams, Hastings

The roadshow is visiting our area because the Healthy Hastings and Rother Programme is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK on a Cancer Quality Improvement Programme (CQIP), which aims to improve outcomes for local people by raising awareness of the risk factors, signs and symptoms of cancer, and improving early diagnosis and treatment rates. Cancer Research UK is making no charge for bringing the roadshow to Hastings and Rother. (For further info on funding please see Cancer Awareness Roadshow.)

Each day from 10am to 4pm, local people will be able to talk to the team about getting to know their body and what’s normal, so that it will be easier to spot changes. Often a change won’t turn out to be cancer, but finding it early could make all the difference.

There will also be lots of information about living a healthy lifestyle, such as being smoke-free, drinking less alcohol, eating healthily, watching your weight, being active and protecting your skin from the sun – as well as details of local organisations and services that can help. Smokers can try the Smokerlyzer test to measure carbon monoxide levels in their lungs, and Body Mass Index testing will also be on offer to find out whether your weight is within the healthy range.

Dr Susan Rae, GP at Silver Springs Surgery, St Leonards-on-Sea and clinical lead for the Healthy Hastings and Rother programme, said: “Cancer is one of the main contributors to inequalities in life expectancy in Hastings and Rother and one of the main causes of premature death. The roadshow will contribute to our Cancer Quality Improvement Programme, which aims to improve awareness, early diagnosis and early treatment of cancer.

“We know from Cancer Research UK that, on average, people intend to make lifestyle changes following their visit to a roadshow; including taking more exercise and eating more healthily, while many visitors also plan to use local support such as stop-smoking services. The team is looking forward to meeting lots of local people between 5 and 8 July, to increase awareness and support people in making healthier choices to boost their wellbeing and reduce cancer risk factors.”

The events are being hosted by NHS Hastings and Rother Clinical Commissioning Group’s Healthy Hastings and Rother programme, which aims to address health inequalities by improving the health and wellbeing of people in the area’s most disadvantaged communities.

Also in: Health Matters