Duchess of York Joins Prevent Breast Cancer as Patron

9th October 2024

Sarah, Duchess of York, is today announced as patron of the breast cancer charity Prevent Breast Cancer and vowed to do all she can to raise awareness of the importance of prevention and early detection.

Following her own experience of breast cancer in 2023, the Duchess has joined forces with the UK charity to help promote its work and fundraise for a new National Breast Imaging Academy.

She was introduced to the charity by a fellow panellist on ITV’s Loose Women, Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor, who is also a patron. The pair discussed their personal experiences of breast cancer on the ITV show this summer, prompting Sally to introduce the Duchess to Prevent Breast Cancer.

The charity today launches a public appeal as it aims to raise £600,000 to secure the future of the National Breast Imaging Academy in Manchester – which will train 50 new breast imaging specialists a year to benefit and strengthen breast services across the UK, as well as increasing screening capacity in Manchester by 13,000 appointments annually.

Commenting on her new patronage, Sarah, Duchess of York, said: “I know first-hand what it feels like to hear the words ‘breast cancer’ and learn that you are facing a life-changing diagnosis, course of treatment and recovery. It’s the news everyone dreads but I consider myself one of the lucky ones, because my cancer was caught early at a routine mammogram which meant that my prognosis was good.

“It’s thanks to my mammogram that I’m here today, so I can’t overstate how important it is that women go for their routine appointments whenever they are called up. It’s extremely worrying that a third of women are missing their screening at the moment. The fact is that the NHS screening programme is also under significant pressure from staffing shortfalls and the future of this programme could be at risk if we don’t act now to protect it. The National Breast Imaging Academy offers a solution: training new experts and increasing screening capacity to protect our national breast screening programme and save lives in the years ahead.”

The Academy is set to commence construction next month and will be located at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). Prevent Breast Cancer is jointly fundraising for its construction with Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Charity and together the two organisations have already secured over 80% of the costs required to build it. Now, they are asking the public for their support in fundraising the final £600,000.

The Duchess added: “I’m delighted to be joining Prevent Breast Cancer as a patron, and even more so to be helping raise awareness of this incredible Academy which deserves all of our support. I urge people to help us reach our fundraising target – every penny counts and you will be helping to save the lives of countless women in the future.”

Breast cancer affects almost 57,000 women a year in the UK, making it the most common cancer in the country. Around a third of breast cancers are diagnosed through routine mammogram appointments and often these women have experienced no warning signs like lumps or breast changes.

Nikki Barraclough, chief executive of Prevent Breast Cancer, added: “Every day, over 155 women hear the news that they have breast cancer. Every single one of those women will have had a mammogram to confirm their cancer. If we don’t have enough experts then early cancers will be missed, women will have to wait longer for tests, and lives will be put at risk.

“The National Breast Imaging Academy is already providing support for trainees across the country but is currently unable to offer hands-on clinical training on a large scale.

“We are now raising funds for a permanent home for it in Manchester and we need your help to secure its future. This incredible facility will train 50 new experts every year who can go on to work all over the country, helping both the NHS breast screening programme and the thousands of women every year who find a lump and need an urgent mammogram.

“I am thrilled to have The Duchess on board as patron of Prevent Breast Cancer. Her own experiences mean that she knows as well as any of us the importance of our mission to create a future free from breast cancer, and I am sure that she will use her voice to help us reach more women around the world.

“Please join our campaign today and help us do more: more mammograms, more staff, more research, and ultimately more lives saved. Breast cancer doesn’t wait, and neither can we,” she added.

The Duchess joins a host of fellow patrons including Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver, actress Victoria Ekanoye, and newsreader and host of The Krypton Factor, Gordon Burns, in supporting the charity. She is also a patron to numerous charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust, the British Heart Foundation and the Natasha Allergy Foundation, and has established her own charities including Sarah’s Trust.

The National Breast Imaging Academy training centre will be an extension of the esteemed Nightingale Centre at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for hands-on clinical training and promote careers in breast imaging, as well as significantly increasing clinical capacity, providing the space and equipment to enable up to 13,000 additional patients to be seen each year. It will also supply much needed space for ground-breaking research into the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Visit preventbreastcancer.org.uk to find out more.