We have a dedicated Cancer Community Champion, Sharon Cope, who will be working with communities to raise awareness of screening programmes, and how to spot early warning signs of cancer. 

Sharon will also be running Cancer Peer Support Groups within Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven over 2026; you can read more about these at WACA Cancer Peer Support Groups or email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out when we are running one in your area.

We are also supporting the Ilkley Cancer Support Group which meets on the first and third Monday or each month and you can find out more at Ilkley Cancer Support Group

We have put together a Cancer Support Directory which contains contact information for local and national charities and organisations offering advice and support as well as some mental health support services: WACA Cancer Support Directory

A cancer diagnosis can bring many different concerns and every person affected by cancer is different.

Every cancer patient is entitled to have conversations with their healthcare professionals to discuss what matters most to them, what support needs they have and how these can be addressed. These conversations are known as an Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA, for short) and a Cancer Care Review (or CCR).

You can find out more about this from the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance website

https://canceralliance.wyhpartnership.co.uk/patients-and-carers/your-cancer-useful-resources/supportive-conversations-your-health-professionals-what-you-should-expect

We have created the below pages to give more advice on particular cancers and some general information you may find useful. 

Reducing Your Risks Link

Signs and Symptoms Link

Bowel Cancer Support Link

Breast Cancer Support Link

Cervical Cancer Support Link 

In February we held a lifestyle medicine talk on 'Reducing your risk of cancer through Nutrition' with Dr Janet Kyriakides and Sharon. You can listen to this talk on the WACA YouTube page below:

#GetCheckedOut Campaign

In Keighley and the surrounding areas 4,000 people are living with cancer. Being cancer aware is important as there is a lot of false information about cancer. A series of videos have been created in English, Urdu, Slovak, Bangla and Polish, and the message is simple: ‘If in doubt, get checked out’. All videos can be accessed at the link below:

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtL_xkBoKIMlPbF6YipnQL7DqdMRzMxBM