Learn how the pandemic has affected the three incredible Women V Cancer charities, Breast Cancer Now, Ovarian Cancer Action and Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and how you can help.
The coronavirus outbreak represented an unprecedented situation for all of us, but this continues to be an extremely difficult and uncertain time for so many people affected by breast, cervical and ovarian cancers.
Throughout the beginning of the pandemic, there was a big drop in cancer referrals, causing more women to be diagnosed late, due to concerns about visiting GPs and hospitals. An estimated 600,000 cervical screening appointments were not able to happen in April and May 2020 alone.
Surgeries and treatments continued to be cancelled or postponed throughout 2020 and 2021, in order for the NHS to tackle the pandemic crisis, and some cancer services are still not yet running at full capacity. And clinical trials, which offer the hope of innovative and life-saving treatment, incurred devastating delays or had to be cancelled completely.
What's more, our charities' researchers, who are usually busy making new discoveries, had to miss more than 250,000 lab hours, causing further delays to new and better treatments.
Even after the pandemic comes to a complete close, there will be a long and lasting impact for cancer patients. With your help, Breast Cancer Now, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action can be there for these women today and minimise any impact on future generations.
How can I help?
Our Women V Cancer charities have been hit hard by the pandemic and have lost out on more than £1.5m due to cancelled events in 2020 and 2021. But we are determined to help them get back on track.
With your help, they can continue providing their cancer support services, which are a vital life-line for thousands of people and they can catch up on lost hours in the labs and start making new discoveries that will improve the treatment of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers for good.
The best way you can help this year is by getting back on your bike and taking part in a Women V Cancer challenge or choosing to support Women V Cancer on a Dream Challenge.
Whether you want to climb Kilimanjaro, venture through the amazing Amazon Rainforest, cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia or even take on the Caribbean, 2023 is the year to find your inner hero and we'll support you all the way.
You can find all of these challenges and more in the Dream Challenges and Women V Cancer 2023 brochure here or on our challenges page here.
Where your funds go...
Women V Cancer is a unique partnership between Breast Cancer Now, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action - and brings together thousands of people that are affected by these cancers every year.
All funds raised by Women V Cancer challenges support the incredible work these three charities do - and it's important that we keep reminding ourselves why each mile cycled, and every penny raised, is so vital.
£150
£150 would fund Jo’s “Ask the Expert” service for a day, buy a bottle of serum for Ovarian Cancer Action’s scientists to culture cells in the lab and enable Breast Cancer Now to send out 500 leaflets to doctor surgeries in the UK promoting breast checking and highlighting the symptoms of breast cancer, so that more women can catch it early before it spreads.
£500
£500 will educate over 1,000 women, including those in high risk groups, about ovarian and cervical cancers and their symptoms, while funding one day’s use of specialised microscopes for research into how breast cancer develops and spreads.
£1,000
£1,000 could enable OCA scientists to detect the types of DNA at high risk of ovarian cancer and fund two specialist nurses on the Breast Cancer Now helpline for a day, while also funding the recruitment and training of one volunteer for Jo’s helpline, who will go on to support hundreds of women per year.
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