Earlier this month, I was delighted to join with a group of cross-party colleagues in Westminster to set up the new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Blood Cancer.
The core aim of this Group is to bring together MPs and members of the House of Lords, to promote awareness of blood cancer, as well as highlighting needs of patients with the Government, Parliamentarians, as well as NHS and charity stakeholders.
It is a particular honour for me to be elected as the Group’s Chairman.
Having lost my own mother to a form of leukaemia, I see it as a duty to do all I can to help raise awareness of this disease.
There are 230,000 people in the UK living with blood cancers, and research from the charity Bloodwise has shown that public awareness of blood cancer is low, and that patients often feel isolated and believe these cancers are seen as ‘separate’ from other cancers.
I was pleased to welcome a number of charities to the House of Commons for World Cancer Day in February. A point I was keen to make at the time was that while it is important to use such days to raise awareness; the fundraising, research and support needed to defeat cancer continues all year round.
Every 14 minutes in the UK, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer or a related disorder. This is almost 38,000 people every year.
There are 137 types of blood cancer and related disorders. Blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
APPGs are cross-party groups which can comprise of members of both Houses of Parliament.
For the last year I have also been a Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, which promotes the cause of animal welfare in Parliament. I am also honoured to be a Vice Chair of the Chagos Islands APPG which looks to help bring about a resolution of issues concerning the future of the Chagos Islands and the Chagossian people, many of whom are proud Crawley residents.
The first meeting of the new group earlier this month was very productive. Over the coming weeks and months, there will be work done behind the scenes to push these efforts forward. I look forward to updating Crawley Observer readers on the Group’s progress.
