Breast Cancer UK Ambassador Programme helps people reduce their risk of breast cancer

Guest blog written by Nikki Mattei, Ambassador Programme Project Manager, Breast Cancer UK

Breast Cancer UK is a small national charity with a focus on prevention and reducing risk.  The charity aims to help people lead healthier lives with a particular focus on the environmental and chemical causes of the disease.  It believes our exposure to the mixture of chemicals, present in many everyday products and in our environment, could be making us more vulnerable to breast cancer. 

Breast Cancer UK launched its Ambassador Project in 2016 with support from The Big Lottery Fund in order to educate people in communities across the country about the accepted and potential risk factors for breast cancer.  Ambassadors are trained and provided with resources to go out into their communities and deliver talks about breast cancer prevention.

A real need for prevention

It is predicted that 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer at some point in their lives.  55,000 people are diagnosed with the disease every year and incidence rates have more than doubled since records began in 1971.  1 in 5 will be under the age of 50.  It is alarming that so many younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer and it is not a trend we can put down to screening and awareness alone.

In recent years, breast cancer awareness has become enormously visible – most people know that they should be checking their breasts and know that they should report any changes to their doctor.  However, there is not always high awareness about breast cancer risk factors and, importantly, what action can be taken to reduce those risks with some studies suggesting that 1 in 4 cases are preventable.

The risk factors for breast cancer are many. It is known that a lack of exercise, being overweight, having a family history, alcohol consumption and various medications such as HRT for example are directly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. 

There is growing scientific evidence to suggest that a group of chemicals known as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) present in our environment and used in many everyday products may also increase our risk of the disease. Breast Cancer UK aims to raise awareness of these chemicals, campaigns for universal measures to reduce our exposure and supports scientific research so that we better understand their role in breast cancer. 

We are looking for more Ambassadors

We all want to prevent breast cancer, to prevent the agony that is felt when one of our close friends or family is diagnosed and, whilst we are glad to see more women surviving breast cancer, we would all rather none of them had to go through it in the first place. 

The Breast Cancer UK Ambassador Programme was launched in 2016 to address the lack of focus on the risk factors for breast cancer but also to show people that they can take positive action themselves.  We knew that the best way to get across our prevention message was talking to people face-to-face in clubs, community groups and local companies.

Our Ambassadors are fully trained on the known and suspected risk factors for breast cancer and equipped with presentation tools, leaflets and ongoing support to help them deliver their message in a positive, upbeat way – showing people what they can do rather than what they can’t.

As well as sharing information, our Ambassadors become part of a growing community of people who are not prepared to accept that breast cancer is inevitable, but that we can take action to reduce our risk.  In doing so, we hope that breast cancer incidence rates will eventually start to fall.

Since the programme began, we have recruited and trained 36 volunteer Ambassadors across the country but we still need more!

Our next Ambassador Training Day is on Saturday 12 May in Birmingham and there are still some places available.  Travel expenses will be reimbursed and a cooked lunch is also provided.  You will learn about the rise in breast cancer rates, the acknowledged and potential risk factors, how the disease starts and then, most importantly, you will be provided with resources and advice to go out into your own community and deliver ‘Let’s Prevent Breast Cancer’ talks.

If you are interested, you can read more and sign up for the May Training Day (or put your name down for the next one) on our website.

Host a ‘Let’s Prevent Breast Cancer’ talk

Our Ambassadors are always on the look out for groups to talk to and we would welcome the opportunity to hear from any WI groups who would like to host one of our talks.

The talk covers the following:

• How breast cancer develops
• Risk factors for breast cancer
• Why oestrogen is significant for breast cancer
• Simple ways to reduce your risk and lead a healthier life

The talk consists of a quiz, PowerPoint presentation and short film, followed by questions, taking about an hour in total. All guests are provided with useful literature to take away.

If you would like to enquire about hosting a talk and find out more, please go to our website and complete the booking form at the end of the page.