Cancer Champions make lasting impact across County Durham
Updated: 2 days ago
A pioneering community and workplace initiative has had success in supporting people across County Durham have potentially life-saving conversations about cancer.
Delivered by Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP), the Cancer Champions programme has trained local volunteers known as 'Cancer Champions'. Their role is to raise awareness of cancer symptoms, encourage participation in screening programmes and support earlier access to health services.
Over the initiatives 12-month duration there has been 128 Cancer Champions recruited and trained, which was more than double an original target. The 128 Cancer Champions includes ten people from the Veteran community. Together, the Cancer Champions facilitated 12,919 cancer awareness conversations and signposted 3,934 people to their GP or screening services. 40 people are known to have sought medical advice or attended screening following these conversations - a real testament to a conversation on cancer making an impact.
At the heart of the initiative are people with lived experience. Terry Bytheway, a Cancer Champion living with prostate cancer has used his personal journey to encourage others to recognise symptoms and seek support early. His presentations across workplaces and community settings have helped open up conversations about cancer and prompted people to take action.
Paul Hewitson, Chancer Champion at Durham County Council and Neil Calvert, Cancer Champion at Hitachi Rail have embedded cancer awareness into everyday workplace conversations, helping colleagues feel more confident discussing cancer, understanding screening and knowing where to access support. Their experiences demonstrate the power of trusted peer-to-peer conversations in breaking down barriers and encouraging positive health behaviours.
The programme also delivered a significant increase in Cancer Champions' knowledge and confidence, with training outcomes improving by an average of 57%. Early evidence suggests cancer awareness activity has influenced people to seek medical advice sooner, supporting the programme's wider goal of improving early diagnosis and reducing health inequalities.
Paula Town, Cancer Champion Officer said: “I am incredibly proud of what our Cancer Champions have achieved across County Durham. What started as a programme to raise awareness has grown into a powerful network of local people who are helping friends, colleagues and community members have conversations that could save lives.
"Every conversation about symptoms, screening or seeking support has the potential to make a real difference. We have seen champions use their lived experience, passion and commitment to encourage others to take action, and in some cases those conversations have led people to seek medical advice and receive a diagnosis earlier than they otherwise may have done.
"That is the true impact of this programme. By empowering trusted individuals within workplaces and communities, we have created a lasting legacy that will continue to improve awareness, reduce health inequalities and support earlier diagnosis long into the future.”
Importantly, the Cancer Champions network will continue beyond the funded period through PCP's Workplace Health and Adult Wellbeing Services, ensuring its impact continues to benefit communities across County Durham. To find out more, contact workplacehealth@pcp.uk.net
Please see below a downloadable impact assessment and County Durham Cancer Champions impact report.
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