Marks and Spencer stores will see a huge change made to their fitting rooms after an employee was diagnosed with cancer aged just 24.
New signs will be rolled out to thousands of changing rooms in stores across the country with guidance on the signs and information about the symptoms of breast cancer. Employee Lucy Dawson pitched the signage directly to M&S CEO Stuart Machin and it will soon be implemented in every cubicle in the women’s and lingerie fitting rooms at 110 stores.
Lucy came up with the scheme while going for a bra fitting after she'd gone through chemotherapy treatment, Birmingham Live reports
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A food team manager at M&S in Tamworth, Lucy thought, "what better place to share guidance on the symptoms of breast cancer?"
Lucy said: “So many people only associate breast cancer with a lump, when in fact there are so many other symptoms. I don’t think I would know all the symptoms of breast cancer if I hadn’t gone through it myself.
"Being diagnosed at such a young age really opened my eyes as I don’t think many young people realise it can impact them. I’m so incredibly proud that the idea is now being rolled out nationwide because it is such a simple idea that has the potential to save lives.”
The new signage will support Marks & Spencer's initiative with long-term charity partner, Breast Cancer Now. The roll-out coincides with M&S’ new campaign, ‘Love your boobs. It starts with a bra fit’, which celebrates boobs of all shapes, sizes and life stages.
As the UK's biggest bra retailer, M&S sold 21 million bras in 2022, while its 2,000 trained bra fitters fit more than 900,000 customers every year. It's hoped the move will 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 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 signs, which have also been posted in colleague changing rooms, will include the charity’s logo and QR code which people can scan to take them to Breast Cancer Now’s website to find out more. Over the last 20 years, M&S has raised £33 million for Breast Cancer Now through sales of post-surgery bras, swimwear and more and through 900,000 customers choosing Breast Cancer Now as their chosen Sparks charity.
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