This week is Cervical Screening Awareness Week, and people are being urged to get booked in for their routine smear tests.
Cervical screening is a way to detect any abnormal changes in the cells of the cervix, and is used to prevent cancer of the cervix.
But while the test itself takes only minutes, it’s believed that one in four people don’t attend their appointments.
According to research by charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, there are a number of barriers that prevent people following through with appointments.
These include embarrassment, convenience, fear of results, and pain, among others.
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Anyone with a cervix – this includes women, trans men and people assigned female at birth – should receive regular testing between the ages of 25 and 64.
Tests normally take place every three-to-five years and you should receive a reminder letter.
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Macmillian, a cancer support charity, has answered some common questions that crop up around the subject of cervical screening.
They stress that a smear test shouldn’t hurt, but can be uncomfortable – you should always tell your GP or nurse if you have any concerns.
Macmillan also says that it can help to wear loose, comfortable clothing that you can remove easily (though you only need to remove items on your lower half).
You can see their full guidance around cervical screening and smear tests here.
Jo’s Trust will also be posting daily blogs and tips to answer questions and raise awareness for cervical screening.
That includes pain, work commitments, trauma, disabilities, and what actually happens next.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Daisy Jackson -
20th June 2022 
