Outreach & Awareness

The importance of early diagnosis cannot be overstated. It can mean the difference between minor surgery and more invasive treatments like chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

• For every 500 women screened, one life is saved.
• In 2022-2023 alone, nearly 19,000 breast cancers were detected through screening.
• Breast screening saves around 1,300 lives each year in the UK, with around 21,000 cancers detected.

Knowing breast cancer signs and symptoms, risk factors and preventative measures could save your life. This is why our outreach and awareness work is so crucial.

1 – Education & Empowerment: We are dedicated to educating everyone about the importance of breast awareness, understanding signs, symptoms, risk factors, and preventive measures. Through accurate information, we empower women to make informed decisions about their breast health, dispelling myths and misconceptions.

2 – Encouragement: We promote the importance of more frequent self-checks, provide knowledge on when to seek advice, and emphasise lifestyle measures to prevent breast cancer.

3 – Screening Awareness: We highlight the importance of attending routine NHS breast screening appointments and work towards increasing uptake, especially in Greater Manchester. 

4 – Data-Driven Insights: Through our outreach activities, we collect meaningful data to identify barriers to screening appointments, enabling us to inform and shape future campaigns.

1 – Health Hour Talks: Our engaging talks reach diverse audiences, from corporate settings to community groups and schools, both in person and online. This year, we delivered 50 talks to over 5,600 people across the UK and beyond! We believe that it is important that breast awareness starts from a young age and so we are proud to have delivered 14 talks to high school and university students.

2 – Community Outreach: Through targeted campaigns, we are on the ground encouraging women to attend their screening appointments. By gathering valuable insights through outreach activities, we’re continuously improving our approach to reach those most in need.

3 – Breast Awareness Campaigns: Partnering with organisations like Network Rail, Brands2Life and Manchester Airports Group, we take our message directly to communities with low screening uptake. From awareness buses to campaigns in train stations, we’re making a tangible impact where it matters most.

4 – Health Information Literacy: We disseminate vital health information through leaflets, social media, and educational videos featuring expert clinicians. These resources empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health.

Feedback for our Health Hour talks:

“A fantastic, intimate, honest and pragmatic conversation around breast cancer screening and a risk-based approach to breast cancer.”

“Many women were moved and inspired by the work that Prevent Breast Cancer does and will now be more vigilant about their breast health”.

Recognising the need for innovative approaches to promote breast health and increase screening appointment uptake, we introduced the Prevent Breast Cancer Horsebox. This converted horsebox, now a branded mobile unit, serves snacks and hot drinks and provides crucial breast health information.

Debuting at the Tour de Manc cycling event in May 2024, the horsebox is set to travel to communities across Manchester with historically low breast screening rates. Stationed in these areas, the horsebox will create a welcoming space for women to ask questions about screening and receive vital breast health information.

We envision the horsebox as a dynamic community hub, fostering valuable interactions and providing access to essential information in a friendly and approachable way!

Network Rail Campaign 2023 – A four-day ‘Donate #6Minutes’ campaign at Manchester Piccadilly train station, with celebrity ambassadors, a flash mob, and QR codes for online surveys. The campaign engaged with over 1000 individuals at the train station, allowing us to gather preliminary data that spans a diverse range of backgrounds, which offers valuable insights into public perceptions and awareness of breast health. 260 individuals shared their email addresses to learn more about Prevent Breast Cancer, reflecting not only an increased awareness of our charity but also a growing interest in supporting our cause.

BooBee Awareness Bus 2022 – Bus tour of areas of Manchester with the lowest uptake of breast screening with the aim of promoting the vital importance of breast screening and self-checks.

It’s Time for You Campaign 2021 – A multi-channel awareness campaign involving distributing roses with health messaging in places with heavy footfall in targeted areas.

BreastFest Campaign 2019 – BreastFest campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month ran by our ‘BooBees’, 120 women directly affected by breast cancer, with a BooBee Bus awareness tour (partnered with the Lorraine TV programme) and an ‘Afternoon Bee’.

To find out more about our campaigns’ impact, visit our Our Impact page.