King’s diagnosis prompts 51% increase in searches for NHS cancer advice

An NHS.uk webpage offering advice on the possible signs and symptoms of cancer has seen a jump of over 50% in the number of visits since news broke of the King’s recent diagnosis.

Latest figures from NHS England reveal that, in the 24 hours following the Buckingham Palace announcement, visits to the page on cancer signs and symptoms rose to 14,668 compared to a daily average of 9,737 last week (29 – 30 January) – an increase of 51%.

Visitor numbers peaked in the hour following the initial statement, with 1,530 visits being made to the page – an average of one visit every three seconds.

The NHS.uk cancer pages include information on lifestyle changes people can make to reduce their chances of getting cancer, as well advice on spotting early signs and symptoms of the disease and treatment options.

NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson said: “Talking about cancer helps save lives, and having more people looking at advice like this on how to spot the possible signs and symptoms of cancer is really important.

“One in two of us will develop some form of cancer in our lifetime – but thanks to continued progress, more cancers are now being diagnosed at an early stage than ever before and survival rates are at an all-time high.

“Detecting cancer early gives people the best chance of successful treatment, so I would encourage anyone to visit their GP if they have worrying symptoms, and to take up screening appointments when they receive them.”

Changes to your body’s normal processes or unusual, unexplained symptoms can sometimes be an early sign of cancer. Symptoms that need to be checked by a doctor include a lump that suddenly appears on your body, unexplained bleeding and changes to your bowel habits.

In many cases symptoms will not be related to cancer and will be caused by other, non-cancerous health conditions, but finding cancer early means it’s easier to treat.

The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer with almost 3 million people receiving potentially lifesaving cancer checks in the last year alone.

Making some simple changes to your lifestyle, such as healthy eating, taking regular exercise and not smoking, can also significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer.

The NHS.uk website is the UK’s biggest health website and receives an average of two million visits each day from people seeking information and advice. It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions.

Source NHS England

Thousands with cancer-causing condition offered life-saving NHS bowel cancer screening

The NHS is offering routine preventative bowel cancer screening to thousands of people in England with a genetic condition that increases their chance of developing certain cancers.This is a world-first move by the health service to help reduce cases and identify bowel cancers earlier when successful treatment and cure is more likely.As part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, people with Lynch syndrome are now invited for bowel surveillance every two years, where they are seen by a specialist team and assessed for a colonoscopy which checks for polyps and signs of bowel cancer.Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition that increases the risk of certain cancers, including bowel, ovarian and pancreatic, but out of 100 people with Lynch syndrome, screening prevents between 40 and 60 people from getting bowel cancer.Around 10,000 people in England are on the Lynch syndrome register and are being invited to join Lynch surveillance as part of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, and with many more unknowingly living with the disease, thousands of extra cancers will potentially be diagnosed and treated earlier.The routine colonoscopies will be offered at local bowel cancer screening centres, close to peoples’ homes making it more convenient for people to get tested.The health service also has a dedicated genetic testing programme for the condition and now almost all people diagnosed with bowel and endometrial cancer receive the initial test to check for Lynch syndrome – 94% on average between 2021-2023 which is up from 47% in 2019.A diagnosis for Lynch syndrome not only helps guide more personalised cancer treatment but enables their families and relatives to be offered testing too.Around 1,100 bowel cancers are caused by Lynch syndrome each year in England – and it is thought the syndrome increases the lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer up to around 80%.Steve Russell, national director of screening and vaccinations for the NHS, said: “Our successful bowel cancer screening programme already helps identify thousands of cancers each year, and now thousands more people who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will also be given regular colonoscopies to check for signs of cancer and to detect the disease earlier.“Ensuring people who we know are at a greater risk of developing cancers get regular screening is key to diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage, and I’d encourage everyone invited to come forward and get their screening at a local centre near them.”Dr Robert Logan, NHS England’s national speciality adviser for endoscopy and bowel screening, said: “This is great news for patients with Lynch syndrome – not only has genetic testing for the condition increased massively in less than five years, but we are also ensuring that patients diagnosed with Lynch syndrome are then guaranteed to get the high quality surveillance colonoscopy they need from the national screening programme. This is the first time any country has been able to deliver such a comprehensive joined up approach to diagnosis and early intervention for one of the most common hereditable cancer syndromes.”Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, says: “With the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme managing Lynch syndrome surveillance we expect to see a vast improvement in the experience and outcomes for people with the condition.“Those who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will now have regular access to high-quality colonoscopy tests regardless of where they live in England.“As the first country in the world to implement a programme like this we are leading the way in improving the care of people with Lynch syndrome and ultimately saving lives.”It is estimated that 1 in 400 people in England have Lynch syndrome (equivalent to around 175,000 people), but just 5% are aware they are living with the condition.People with Lynch syndrome are more likely to develop multiple cancers and be diagnosed at a younger age. For example, bowel cancer is most common in those aged over 50 but in someone younger, it may be a sign of Lynch syndrome.The NHS is now able to identify the condition through a simple blood test, which then goes through a regional genomic laboratory hub, is sequenced, and then sent back to the referring clinician.Relatives who receive a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome can be referred to genetic services to discuss regular testing options to help catch any cancers as early as possible, as well as to consider preventive options such as taking aspirin or undergoing risk-reducing surgery.While the syndrome does not directly cause cancer, the genetic changes can lead to more abnormal cells developing, which then multiply and increase the risk of developing cancers, such as bowel, prostate and endometrial, among others.Nicola Theis from Cheltenham is a university lecturer and was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome following her dad’s diagnosis with the hereditary condition.She is now receiving regular preventative screening from NHS bowel cancer screening services and as a mum of two young children, she explains why this is so important.“It all started when my dad was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2019 and only given months to live, which you can imagine was devastating for our family.“I’d researched the importance of genetics in finding the most appropriate treatment options and after his results confirmed his cancer was linked to Lynch syndrome, he began receiving immunotherapy and incredibly this treatment began to shrink his tumour.“Miraculously, he was cancer free in less than a year and his scans have been clear since. I’m so happy he’s still with us.“After that, I was tested and diagnosed with Lynch syndrome too. Being part of the screening programme gives me the confidence that any cancers that may develop can be caught earlier when they’re more treatable.“It’s great that thanks to the NHS’s Lynch syndrome screening programme, more people like me and my dad will be regularly checked for bowel and other cancers.“If you think you might have Lynch syndrome, I’d really encourage you to discuss it with your GP. It could save your life.”Professor Peter Johnson, clinical director for cancer at the NHS said: “Bowel cancer is now the most third common cancer in this country, with cases rising year on year, but it also tends to be one of the harder cancers to detect at an early stage because signs and symptoms usually appear later. This is why the NHS has rolled out a national bowel cancer screening programme to detect cancers earlier and ensure people can be treated sooner – which has now been expanded to include people with Lynch syndrome.“As well as people coming forward for regular screening when invited by the NHS, it’s also important to remain vigilant of any potential symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habits, blood in the poo, and abdominal pain – if you do notice any of these changes, please do come forward for checks at your GP surgery – getting checked saves lives.”Health Minister, Andrew Stephenson said: “Identification and follow up of people at high risk of cancer is an important and ever-more feasible strand of our efforts to reduce deaths and illness from cancer.“Today’s announcement means that those with Lynch syndrome can be routinely screened for bowel cancer, helping to identify potential issues in a timely way as part of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme. This means that the NHS has a better chance of finding cancers at a time when they can be more easily and effectively treated.“The NHS has seen and treated record numbers of cancer patients over the past two years. As we drive forward our long term plan for the NHS we are seeing survival rates improve across almost all types of cancer, but we know we must go further to ensure that we catch cancer earlier and increase chances of survival.”Tracy Smith, Trustee at Lynch syndrome UK, said: “Introducing Lynch syndrome patients to the National Bowel Screening Programme ensures that high risk patients receive regular surveillance in a timely manner and potential cancers are more likely to be caught earlier, thus saving lives.”Dr Kevin Monahan, lead for the NHS England Lynch syndrome transformation project, said: “Incorporating people with Lynch syndrome into the national colonoscopy screening programme is game-changing and will save many lives each year. It will deliver prevention and early diagnosis of bowel cancer through timely and high-quality colonoscopy. Now diagnosis of this hereditary condition in England will be linked to lifelong patient-focused care.”

Source NHS England

Miss England Competition Supports Balls to Cancer

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have been picked as the Charity partner of this year’s Miss England finals.

The finals will take place at the beautiful Grand Station in Wolverhampton in May.

Miss England Final 16-17 May: 

Miss England Contest

The Miss England Contest is the most respected beauty contest ‘Title’ in England. It is the ONLY competition in the Country to send its winner to represent England in the Miss World Contest.

The organiser Angie Beasley has been the director of Miss England since 2002 . In the 1990s , Angie organised Miss United Kingdom on behalf of Miss World . The competition is a registered patented title with the UK Patent office and owned by Miss World who in 2023 will be celebrating their 71st year .

(Photo of Angie Beasley above by Studio NI Photography.)

Angie was one of the judges for Miss England 2019 and help select NHS Doctor Bhasha Mukherjee to be the winner .   In the 1990s Angie organised Miss United Kingdom on behalf of Miss World along with Miss Scotland and Miss Wales . In 2002 , Angie became the director of Miss England Limited , when Julia Morley spilt the 4 UK countries , so now 4 girls get the opportunity to go to Miss World with the highest scoring becoming Miss UK .

The competition is noted for emphasising the importance of charity work, now a major part of the competition.  During the last few years, the Miss England competition alone has raised in excess of £1m for various children’s charities using the Miss World ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ ethos founded by Julia Morley. Beauty with a Purpose is now a charity that  help disadvantaged children & young people across the World.

Miss England has been a regular supporter of Variety Children’s Charity, having raised over £450k  at Miss England heats with ‘Miss England’ herself appearing at high profile events, organised by many charities.

Miss World is one of the world’s biggest TV shows, broadcast to over 120 countries and has been in existence since 1952.     In England we can usually watch on London Live Channel E!, or on the Miss World website www.missworld.com  The event hosts a top prize of $100,000 and every year attracts thousands of entrants in over 120 countries. Prolific winners of Miss World include Aishwarya Rai, Zhang Zilin and Priyanka Chopra who have all since then made themselves wholly successful in the filming and modelling industry. Oscar winners Halle Berry and Michelle Yeoh were also Miss World contestants in their earlier life!  More well known Miss England celebrity winners include , Georgia Horsley  ( now Georgia Jones married to Danny Jones from McFly) ,  Danielle Lloyd , Amy Jackson one of Bollywoods biggest stars who was third runner up in Miss England in 2010 , Laura Coleman , top model with Models one , and many contestants over the years have appeared on well known TV shows .

Amy Willerton who starred on “Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here ” also represented London in Miss England 2012 and later went on to win Miss Universe GB .

The Miss England contest is now organised differently compared to previous years since the pandemic .

A series of qualifying virtual heats will be held on the Miss England app  on a monthly basis to find the semi finalists. There will also be wildcard opportunities for contestants promoted on social media where a contestant may win a place in the semi final by becoming a WILDCARD entry   .  The Miss England app is FREE to download from Google Play or the App store and voters receive one FREE daily vote for their favourite contestant .  VOTE NOW for your favourite !

At the semi final the National finalists will be selected . The next semi final is being held at Viva Blackpool on 16th October 2023 to celebrate Jessica Gagens one year reign. Jessica will be representing England at the 71st Miss World , due to be held in India in December.

There will also be a number of direct to the final heats will also be held such as the first ever make up free LONDON heat , FAB UK Magazine will be holding a Top Model heat and other city winners will be invited from across the country to take part in the next final , which is now scheduled to be held in the Spring of 2024.

To enter the next Miss England please first enter by completing the form on the home page of our website and if accepted we will  advise us of the next stage.

You can compete in more than one round to increase your chances.

The reigning Miss England is AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STUDENT Jessica Gagen who represented Lancashire in the 2022 final TWICE .

Click here to read an article about Jessica in the media when she became the winner of Miss England 2022 DAILY MAIL 

The winner of Miss England each year joins Miss Scotland, Miss Wales & Miss Northern Ireland & almost 100 contestants from around the world to compete for the Miss World coverted crown with first prize of $100k.

Balls to Cancer Charity Ball 2024

We are very pleased to announce that the tickets are on sale NOW for our 2024 Charity Ball!

The ball will be back at the very beautiful Grand Station in Wolverhampton and will be on Friday 29th November.

We will have our usual amazing mix of wonderful food, great live entertainment and brilliant celebrity guests.

So if you would like to join us celebrating another year of helping, funding, supporting people with cancer, then get your tickets before the prices increase !

Tickets are available here or for a reduced table of ten ticket are available here

We need your help to keep our Free holidays for anyone with cancer open for 2024

We are now planning for 2024 and need your help raising the vital funds we need to be able to open our free holiday homes next year.

Sadly again this year the costs have risen for the coming year and we need you and your friends to help us raise the funds to keep this vital break for people with cancer going through treatment.

For some this is their last holiday and we desperately need to make sure this is still available.

if you can help please donate here https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/free-holidays-for-families-with-cancer

Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released

Assessments of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame are released today by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.Aspartame is an artificial (chemical) sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereal, toothpaste and medications such as cough drops and chewable vitamins.“Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, 1 in 6 people die from cancer. Science is continuously expanding to assess the possible initiating or facilitating factors of cancer, in the hope of reducing these numbers and the human toll,” said Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO. “The assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies.”The two bodies conducted independent but complementary reviews to assess the potential carcinogenic hazard and other health risks associated with aspartame consumption. This was the first time that IARC has evaluated aspartame and the third time for JECFA.After reviewing the available scientific literature, both evaluations noted limitations in the available evidence for cancer (and other health effects).IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically, for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a type of liver cancer). There was also limited evidence for cancer in experimental animals and limited evidence related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer.JECFA concluded that the data evaluated indicated no sufficient reason to change the previously established acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0–40 mg/kg body weight for aspartame. The committee therefore reaffirmed that it is safe for a person to consume within this limit per day. For example, with a can of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70kg would need to consume more than 9–14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources.IARC’s hazard identifications are the first fundamental step to understand the carcinogenicity of an agent by identifying its specific properties and its potential to cause harm, i.e. cancer. IARC classifications reflect the strength of scientific evidence as to whether an agent can cause cancer in humans, but they do not reflect the risk of developing cancer at a given exposure level. The IARC hazard evaluation considers all types of exposures (e.g. dietary, occupational). The strength-of-evidence classification in Group 2B is the third highest level out of 4 levels, and it is generally used either when there is limited, but not convincing, evidence for cancer in humans or convincing evidence for cancer in experimental animals, but not both.“The findings of limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and animals, and of limited mechanistic evidence on how carcinogenicity may occur, underscore the need for more research to refine our understanding on whether consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard,” said Dr Mary Schubauer-Berigan of the IARC Monographs programme.JECFA’s risk assessments determine the probability of a specific type of harm, i.e. cancer, to occur under certain conditions and levels of exposure. It is not unusual for JECFA to factor IARC classifications into its deliberations.“JECFA also considered the evidence on cancer risk, in animal and human studies, and concluded that the evidence of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing,” said Dr Moez Sanaa, WHO’s Head of the Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition Unit. “We need better studies with longer follow-up and repeated dietary questionnaires in existing cohorts. We need randomized controlled trials, including studies of mechanistic pathways relevant to insulin regulation, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, particularly as related to carcinogenicity.”The IARC and JECFA evaluations of the impact of aspartame were based on scientific data collected from a range of sources, including peer-reviewed papers, governmental reports and studies conducted for regulatory purposes. The studies have been reviewed by independent experts, and both committees have taken steps to ensure the independence and reliability of their evaluations.IARC and WHO will continue to monitor new evidence and encourage independent research groups to develop further studies on the potential association between aspartame exposure and consumer health effects. 

(Via World Health Organisation)

Howden Coffee and Balls to Cancer: A Collaboration Worth Drinking to

Howden Coffee, UK-based coffee specialists, has partnered with Balls to Cancer in an effort to further raise support for those living with, and affected by cancer. With every purchase made by their customers, Howden Coffee will donate 5% of their sales to Balls to Cancer, supporting the mission of raising awareness and supporting those affected by cancer.Eliott Spencer, Founder of Howden Coffee, shared his thoughts on the partnership, saying, “We wanted to find a way to give back to the community and make a meaningful impact. We believe that partnering with Balls to Cancer is the perfect way to do this, as we are able to support their amazing work and make a difference to the lives of those affected by cancer.”The partnership between Howden Coffee and Balls to Cancer is a beneficial collaboration for both parties that allows coffee lovers to get more than just a bag of coffee. Howden Coffee are able to give back to the community while allowing more people to support charities in a truly convenient way. Howden Coffee are committed to making a difference and supporting causes that matter. Through the partnership, Balls to Cancer can become even more able to provide support and care to those in need.Cancer is a disease that affects millions of people around the world, and partnerships like this are crucial to making sure that the valued support provided by Balls to Cancer gets the backing to grow and continue the invaluable work carried out. The partnership between Howden Coffee and Balls to Cancer is a shining example of how businesses can make a difference. Through this partnership, there is the ability to raise awareness about cancer, support those affected by the disease, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and families. With every bag of coffee sold, Howden Coffee are able to support the mission of Balls to Cancer and provide help to those in need.To get your coffee fix while supporting an amazing charity, visit Howden Coffee and make a difference.

Could you Sponsor a football team?

Balls to cancer currently has three football teams a mens team, under 18s boys team and a ladies team. All three of them are looking for sponsors for the new season.

We have many sponsorship options available starting from £150 upto the main shirt sponsor at £950.

The main sponsor will get in return a free shirt, a write up here on our website with links to their business, weekly mentions on our social media.

The smaller sponsors will get a mention on our team write up on our website and a monthly social media mention.

So if you can help any or all of our teams please contact us today

Help us to raise the funds needed to keep our holiday homes open

Since December 2022 we have been desperately trying to raise funds for our two beautiful holiday homes in Burnham on Sea. These holiday homes are a place where families or individuals with cancer can go for respite during treatment absolutely free. For some this is a break from Chemotherapy and the stresses, strains, pains and sickness that come with it. For some it is there first family holiday and others their last.

These holidays are a vital break for these families and we need your help to keep them open.

Sadly like every other part of our daily lives the costs have gone through the roof way beyond what we anticipated with fees, cleaning, repairs etc…. so we are in danger of having to close them.

We need to raise £20,000 and we’re a long way off so if you see this please, click the link and make a donation here

Thank you