Haddington and Lammermuir Councillor Craig Hoy is calling on East Lothian Council to back Lorraine Kelly’s Change And Check campaign to raise awareness of checking regularly for the signs and symptoms of breast cancer.
Mr Hoy, who is also the Scottish Conservatives Party’s Holyrood candidate for East Lothian, is set to table a motion to a full meeting of East Lothian Council calling on the local authority to place Change And Check stickers in council offices and encourage their use in Enjoyleisure sports and swimming facilities across the county.
The Change And Check campaign sees “reminder stickers” placed on mirrors in changing rooms, encouraging women to check their breasts as they are getting changed. The sticker details the symptoms of breast cancer such as lumps, rashes and dimpling, reminding women to see a doctor or nurse if they become aware of any irregularities.
Speaking about the campaign, Mr Hoy said: “Over 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year. In East Lothian almost everyone will know of someone whose life has been affected by breast cancer. The earlier it is diagnosed, the higher the chances are of successful treatment. By displaying Change And Check stickers in changing rooms we can take a simple but effective step to increase early detection and, in turn, reduce breast cancer deaths in East Lothian.”
The Change And Check campaign was inspired by mum of three and a producer on the “Lorraine” programme, Helen Addis, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2018 after a feature with Dr. Hilary on breast examinations reminded her to check her own.
Mr Hoy added: “Our motion would commit East Lothian Council to displaying reminder stickers in its changing rooms and encourage their display across the county’s Enjoyleisure facilities. Organisations including John Lewis and Partners, David Lloyd Clubs, ASDA and Monsoon have already pledged their support and it would be very welcome if East Lothian Council backed Lorraine Kelly’s important campaign.”
The motion will be proposed by Mr Hoy and seconded by Conservative Group Leader Councillor Jane Henderson (jointly pictured) at a meeting of East Lothian Council next week.
