The 9^th July saw the launch of a new bottom-up approach to raising cancer awareness in the community and was voted a great success by those who attended.

These drop-in sessions are very much a close collaboration between healthcare professionals based in The Manor Hospital Walsall, the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) who brought together Primary Care across the Willenhall, Public Health Walsall, MACMILLAN Cancer Support and the local voluntary sector in the form of The Hive Hub at New Invention Square, part of Frank F Harrison Community Association, where the events are being held.

The second of these events is planned for September, we left August free due to folk being on summer holidays. It also gives us the opportunity to review what worked well and where things might need tweaking a little to ensure the continuing success of this pilot project.

So, why are we doing this pilot project? In a nutshell, we need to provide evidence to the powers that be that a bottom-up approach to cancer screening awareness through Walsall’s network of Community Associations is indeed the best way to make an impact to improve survival rates. Walsall is currently languishing in last place for cancer survival rates and uptake of cancer screening across the Black Country ICB area.

How did all this come about? It all started back in October last year with a conversation I had with the surgeon who operated on me at Walsall Manor Hospital. I’d been diagnosed with Bowel Cancer. His name? Mr Tayyab. We got talking and he said how much he wanted to get out into Communities across Walsall to raise cancer awareness. I told him about my 42 years as a local Councillor and since 2022, my ongoing volunteering work With Frank F Harrison Community Association and in particular with The Hive Hub on New Invention Square. The rest is history, as they say.

The feedback we have had from the first session has been very positive. Many of those who attended felt that the session with Mr Tayyab helped to answer their questions. This, coupled with the information provided by MACMILLAN Cancer Support, Public Health and the Black Country ICB has made it a truly bottom-up, multi-disciplinary collaboration.

If, as we expect, the other two events in September and October are as successful then that will put us in a good position to push for the much needed funding to promote monthly sessions all year round in communities across Walsall helping in the fight against cancer.