A local Marks & Spencer colleague is behind a new campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer across the UK.
The idea originated from 15 M&S colleagues, including Katie Woodside from M&S Abbeycentre, who submitted it to M&S’ colleague suggestion scheme – Straight to Stuart – which launched in May last year.
The scheme encourages colleagues to share ideas and views with the CEO of M&S, Stuart Machin, directly via Microsoft Teams.
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This month, M&S is rolling out signage to more than 1,500 fitting rooms with guidance on the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Speaking about the initiative, Co Antrim woman Katie Woodside said she made the suggestion after two of her colleagues were diagnosed with breast cancer.
"At M&S we get the opportunity to meet so many incredible women and through our Bra Fit service help them feel more confident about their boobs, so I’m really pleased that M&S is putting this idea into action," she added.
"I suggested it after two colleagues were diagnosed with breast cancer and I also realised that so many of my friends didn’t know how to check their boobs for signs of breast cancer.
"I thought the signage could help our customers - and colleagues - by encouraging them to touch, look, check, and speak to their GP if something doesn’t feel or look quite right."
The retailer has been in a partnership with Breast Cancer Now since 2001, and the signage will include the charity’s logo and a QR code which customers can scan to take them to Breast Cancer Now’s website to find out more.
The move is designed to aid early detection and encourage more people to regularly touch, look and check their breasts.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, accounting for three in 20 (15%) of all cancer cases in females and males combined. Around 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK, however the sooner the disease is diagnosed, the better the chances of treatment being successful.
The signage has also been rolled out across M&S’ colleague changing rooms.
Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: "We’re delighted to be building on our partnership with M&S by raising vital awareness of breast cancer signs and symptoms with people in M&S changing rooms across the country. Currently, 1 in 7 women in the UK will receive the devastating news they have breast cancer – with this set to increase to 1 in 6 by 2050, it’s more crucial than ever that people know the signs and symptoms of the disease.
"We know that the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of treatment being successful, making it vital that people get to know their ‘normal’, along with the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and to get any new or unusual changes checked out by their GP as soon as possible.
"By arming millions of people across the UK with this health information, we’ll help ensure more people who have breast cancer get diagnosed sooner, so they have a better chance of treatment being successful. A huge thank you to all the M&S colleagues who submitted this idea to Stuart and to M&S for launching this vital campaign."
For more information, please visit breastcancernow.org. Anyone looking for support or information can call the free Helpline on 0808 800 6000 to speak to an expert nurse.
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