PEOPLE in Essex are being urged to show support on World Cancer Day for everyone affected by the disease.
Cancer Research UK is calling on men, women and children to wear one of the charity’s brightly coloured Unity Bands with pride on Tuesday, February 4.
Every hour, around 4 people are diagnosed with cancer in the East of England.*
Wearing a Unity Band is a way of showing solidarity with people affected by the disease.
The Unity Band is available in three different colours – pink, navy and blue. It can be worn in memory of a loved one, to celebrate people who’ve overcome cancer or in support of those going through treatment.
Marked on February 4, World Cancer Day is an international movement, uniting people across the globe to help beat cancer.
By making a donation for a Unity Band, people in Essex can also help to fund life-saving research to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
In the UK, one in two people will be diagnosed with the disease at some point in their lifetime**.
The good news is, thanks to research, more people are surviving than ever before. Survival has doubled in the last 40 years in the UK and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.
But there is still so much more work to do. That’s why this World Cancer Day, the charity is calling on everyone to raise money to help accelerate progress and save more lives.
Patrick Keely, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Essex, said: “World Cancer Day is a great opportunity for people in the region to unite and show solidarity with everyone whose life has been touched by the disease.
“Our research has played a role in developing 8 of the world’s top 10 cancer drugs and we’re working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. But we can’t do it alone.
“That’s why we hope people across Essex will wear a Unity Band with pride, knowing they are helping to beat cancer. Small actions really can make a big difference.”
Unity Bands are available for a suggested donation of £2 from Cancer Research UK shops and online at cruk.org/worldcancerday
