A Plymouth-based breast care charity is launching a three-year campaign to boost the money it raises for local NHS breast services and to increase awareness of the importance of breast care.
The campaign by The Primrose Foundation comes as latest figures show a worrying drop in the number of women in the area attending breast screening. The campaign launch in October 2022 coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The charity, which is based at the Primrose Breast Care Centre at Derriford Hospital, is also using the ‘Support Us to Support You’ campaign to emphasise the benefits of wearing the right fitted bra. And it says that if just 10% of the 25,000-plus people who use the breast care service at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust annually donated the cost of one bra each year, it would raise tens of thousands of pounds.
On average, the local service diagnoses 400 cancers every year, many of them detected at screening appointments at Plymouth Guildhall or the mobile screening van. Yet the uptake for screening appointments locally is declining and as many as 30% of those invited are not getting screened.
Dr Karen Paisley, Consultant Radiologist at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and Director of Breast Screening, hopes the campaign will encourage more to come forward when they are called for their routine checks:
“This is a really exciting opportunity to raise breast awareness and promote our breast screening service, especially as the uptake for breast screening across West Devon and East Cornwall has unfortunately gone down to 70% according to recent annual figures.
‘’I am extremely grateful to The Primrose Foundation for their great work in supporting The Primrose Breast Care Centre, our staff and consequently our patients,” she added.
The Primrose Foundation has raised millions of pounds since it was launched in 1995. Its aim at the outset was to help fund a one stop breast care clinic at Derriford Hospital, which was achieved in 2001, with match funding from the then Plymouth Hospitals Trust.
Madeleine Matthews, Fundraising Coordinator for The Primrose Foundation, said that ‘Support Us to Support You’ has several aims: “This is a unique campaign over three years, and it could not be better timed, with the recent drop in people attending screening – even though we know how vital it is in providing early detection and diagnosis. The main aim therefore is to raise breast awareness and to encourage people to attend their breast screening.
“We are also hoping it will raise awareness about The Primrose Foundation and the incredible work that the charity does. We want to encourage new support from patients and local businesses, so that we can raise even more money for breast care services in our area.”
The Foundation is particularly keen to forge closer links with supermarkets across West Devon and East Cornwall, with the hope that they can display the charity’s information about breast screening, who is eligible, and when screening is being carried out in specific areas. It is also inviting local organisations to become a corporate sponsor of The Primrose Foundation, with the charity offering a range of corporate sponsorship benefits.
Another big part of the campaign is to emphasise the importance of a correctly fitted bra. The campaign is supported by Marks & Spencer Plymouth, which offers a free bra fit service.
Madeleine said:
“Your bra offers a vital support role because a well-fitted bra supports your posture, confidence, and health. Like your bra, The Primrose Foundation supports your breast too. We offer support to those that require breast care, including breast cancer care, so with this campaign, we are asking: ‘would you support us so we can continue to support you’?
“We are incredibly proud of all our amazing achievements over the past 26 years, all of which have been possible thanks to the wonderful encouragement and support we receive locally,” she added
“It is a privilege to help the Primrose Breast Care Centre at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and know that together we are ensuring the best possible breast care services are provided to patients and their families across West Devon and East Cornwall.”
To get involved or donate to the campaign, visit The Primrose Foundation’s JustGiving page, www.justgiving.com/campaign/supportustosupportyouSupermarkets and organisations wishing to take part in the campaign can contact Madeleine by email at madeleine@primrosefoundation.org or on 01752 975217. For more information about the charity’s work, visit www.primrosefoundation.org
