It’s been over five years since our story began. We’ve delivered workshops, awarded grants, encountered taboos and discovered that there are barriers when seeking medical advice. Working alongside our partners Wessex Cancer Alliance and our VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) partners we have helped tackle health inequalities and raised awareness of cancer.
When did the Communities Against Cancer project start?
The project started in April 2019.
The key objectives of the project
Communities Against Cancer focuses on improving early diagnosis by engaging with communities about cancer and raising awareness. A specific focus for us is addressing health inequalities so where possible we target seldom heard communities.
The early days – how our journey began
Claire Vincent, former Project Lead admitted she was a little daunted at the start of the project. She said,
‘The task was huge – to introduce and engage the VCSE (Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise) sector and communities with messages of cancer awareness. A subject many did not want to talk about.’
The project is about engagement, facilitation and working with communities so in May 2019 the team began building and strengthening relationships with the VCSE sector, communities and health partners across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
Alongside her project team, Claire promoted the project and the grants for organisations to deliver cancer awareness projects.
Working with our partners
Since the project began, we have worked together with our funders Wessex Cancer Alliance to help raise awareness of the disease.
The University of Southampton has also played a key role in helping evaluate the project on an ongoing basis.
Designing the workshops and spreading the word that early diagnosis can save lives
Claire and the team designed training with guidance from WCA. The objective was to make our VCSE partners felt confident in the messages of the project. The workshop content focused on cancer screening, signs, and symptoms and how to reduce our risk of cancer.
One of the key facts Claire and the team learnt from the beginning is that early diagnosis can save lives. It informs all the work we do for Communities Against Cancer.
The workshops support those at greater risk of health inequality. These communities include those on low incomes, people with learning disabilities and those from some minority ethnic groups.
Delivering the first workshop
After some practice sessions with colleagues and guidance from Wessex Cancer Alliance to ensure the information was correct and up to date, Claire and the team started delivering in-person cancer awareness workshops to VCSE partners. The response was positive, and attendees engaged with the project and wanted to be involved.
The sessions were 2-way to enable conversation and to learn from each other. Claire explained,
‘It was not about providing volumes of information about cancer – people could do their own research for this. We were also clear that we were not from a clinical background, so the workshops were not about providing a medical perspective, rather about awareness and starting conversations with communities.’
Covid and the move to online workshops in 2021
The move to online workshops was tricky but enabled more people to attend, and we welcomed colleagues from health, local authorities, and academic partners. This added another positive dimension of learning across sectors and fitted positively with the Integrated Care System (ICS) model of collaboratively working across sectors for the benefit of the health of communities.
Backlogs, barriers, and taboos
We’ve learnt along the way that cancer can be a taboo subject in some communities and shockingly people can experience stigma and isolation following a diagnosis.
Take for example Nagina, a trustee at Action Hampshire who was told by friends to ‘go and repent’ when she was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago.
There have been challenges, such as Covid and delays in diagnosis and a screening backlog. People were reluctant to contact their GP out of concern for bothering the NHS during lock-downs or a fear of catching Covid. This has led to many sadly receiving a later diagnosis.
The NHS has made great strides to catch up and promote the need for people to come forward if they are concerned about a symptom. This remains the message. But challenges continue with gaps in the workforce, strikes and delays to some cancer treatment starting.
2021-23, continuing to make progress…
Since 2021, the workshops have remained online and continue to be an effective way of communicating cancer awareness to VCSE organisations.
The VCSE sector has done an incredible job in raising awareness of cancer, especially with communities facing specific challenges in accessing healthcare and health guidance.
In the battle against cancer, early diagnosis is key. In June 2023 the government announced a roll-out programme for the Targeted Lung Health Check – a solution to detect lung cancer aimed at smokers and former smokers.
According to the government’s website, gov.uk ‘so far, more than 1 million people have taken up their lung cancer screening invitations and screening has diagnosed more than 5,500 people with lung cancer. Over 75% of these lung cancers were found at an early stage (1 or 2), compared to less than 30% of lung cancers detected outside of screening’.
The next phase 2024-25
We are now in Year five with a new team on board, embarking on our next phase of Communities Against Cancer. We continue to deliver cancer awareness workshops and focus on those communities experiencing health inequalities. We also continue to award grants to organisations wishing to spread the word direct to their communities in a way which resonates with them.
In the most recent phase of the project, we have been working closely with GP surgeries to help raise awareness of cancer within specific, targeted communities.
Our impact over the last five, (nearly six) years
Since the start of the project, we have awarded a total of £403,000 in grants across Hampshire, The Isle of Wight and Dorset.
We have supported 131 communities to deliver cancer awareness messages. Those with grants have delivered innovative cancer awareness projects across Hampshire, Dorset, and the Isle of Wight.
Grant recipients have included community radio stations, a local leisure centre, women’s cultural groups, a charity supporting people with learning disabilities and people experiencing homelessness.
Looking towards the future…
Communities Against Cancer continues to make strides in addressing health inequalities and raising awareness. We were recently approached by an equivalent organisation in Bristol looking to roll out a project with similar objectives.
Awareness of cancer is growing as we move into the future. Social media is playing an increasingly significant role in this. It is an effective platform to share personal stories from cancer patients, cancer survivors and celebrities. We’ve also seen more awareness of key cancers such as breast, bowel and prostrate in the media and people are talking more freely about cancer, its symptoms and the importance of early diagnosis in saving lives. We have noticed too that people are becoming increasingly engaged with our Communities Against Cancer social media messages too.
Join us at our event celebrating over five years of Communities Against Cancer
On Tuesday 4 March at Hanger Farm, Totton, Southampton, we will host an event to showcase the work we have achieved alongside our partners in helping to raise awareness of cancer and address health inequalities
How can I get involved?
If you are part of a VCSE organisation in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight and you are interested in getting involved in Communities Against Cancer, then please get in touch. We have grants available of up to £2,500 and plenty of support for you.
Follow this link for more information about how to get involved
