People affected by cancer in Yorkshire invited to help shape vital progress

Yorkshire Cancer Research is inviting people with experience of cancer in Yorkshire to help shape vital progress in cancer research for the benefit of communities across the region.

The charity is looking for people with experience of cancer to become Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers to help guide its life-saving work and ensure the needs and experiences of those affected by cancer in the region are at the heart of its decision-making.

Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers are people living in Yorkshire who have personal experience of cancer, either directly or through supporting a loved one. Their experience can help inform research funded by the charity and improve the impact of its work for people affected by cancer.

By sharing ideas and insights from their own experience of cancer, Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers help shape a wide range of projects across the charity, supporting its mission to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire. Their involvement forms part of the charity’s wider commitment to ensure people affected by cancer, or at risk of cancer, are at the heart of the charity’s work.

Yorkshire Cancer Research offers a range of opportunities for people with experience of cancer to get involved in its work, including:

• Applying their experience to help shape diverse projects across the charity, from research initiatives and events to marketing and fundraising campaigns
• Volunteering skills or strengths to help the charity further boost its impact, such as public speaking on behalf of the charity.
• Influencing health and government policy for Yorkshire by adding their voice to regional and national advocacy campaigns
• Sharing their experience with press to help shine a light on key cancer issues in the region
• Joining the Research Advisory Panel to help make funding decisions about life-saving cancer research and services in Yorkshire 

Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer. As Yorkshire’s cancer charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research exists to change this. The charity is funding £75m of pioneering research and innovative cancer services, so more people in Yorkshire live longer, healthier lives, free of cancer.

People can apply to become a Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencer if they have been affected by cancer, are over 18 and live in Yorkshire. No formal training is needed, and a friendly team at Yorkshire Cancer Research will offer support and guidance for all the activities they choose to get involved in.

Someone who is already helping to shape the work of Yorkshire Cancer Research is Barry from Knaresborough. In October 2024, Barry was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Learning how regular exercise and good nutrition can benefit people with CLL, including possibly delaying the need for treatment, the 64-year-old dad-of-two decided to take positive steps to be more active and support his health.  

Barry joined Active Together, a pioneering cancer exercise treatment service funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, to improve his cardiovascular fitness and strength and help him reach the fitness level needed to take part in a university-based research study for people with CLL. During this time, he also looked for ways to support other people affected by cancer and signed up to volunteer at the Yorkshire Cancer Research Donations Centre in Harrogate, as well as share his experience to support the pioneering work of the charity.

Barry is now a Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencer, where he shares personal insights and skills from his professional background as a school leader to help guide important decisions across the charity’s work. Since joining the group, he has applied his experience across different charity projects, including taking part in a focus group to support the development of Active Together, assisting with the charity’s marketing campaigns and providing vital feedback to shape future events. 

“Ever since I received my cancer diagnosis, I’ve wanted to use my experience as a force for good. When you’ve experienced cancer yourself, you bring different insights that might not otherwise be considered. Being able to help share my perspective gives me a strong sense of purpose and my contributions are always valued and appreciated.” 

When asked why he would encourage other people to join the Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers, Barry said: “My diagnosis opened my eyes to the scale and importance of research and how important it is to have the voices of people with cancer directly involved. Becoming an Influencer is an opportunity to influence the work of a fantastic regional cancer charity while joining a welcoming community at a time that can feel uncertain for many.”

In Huddersfield, Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencer Stephen Jennings is channelling his experience to help shape vital progress in Yorkshire for the benefit of communities across the region. The 34-year-old was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2022 and underwent an intense course of treatment, including repeated rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery and a procedure to fit a temporary stoma bag following complications with his surgery. In May 2024, Stephen was given the all-clear and now has regular tests and scans to monitor his health. 

Alongside travelling the world with his wife, friends and dog, Stephen wants to do whatever he can to share his experience to help other people with cancer; something which has already helped save a life.  

He said: “Following my own experience, my friend’s husband went to the doctors to get a lump in his testicle checked which turned out to be cancer. Thankfully, it was caught early, and he has been successfully treated. I can’t describe how happy I was when he told me my experience had inspired him to get checked. It’s nice to be called an inspiration, but I’m just a guy who wants to use his cancer experience to help others.”

Stephen is looking to share his experience to encourage people to have open conversations about cancer and seek medical advice if they notice anything unusual with their health.

He said: “As someone who has had testicular cancer, I am passionate about breaking the cultural stigma around the disease and helping men feel comfortable about getting checked. Greater education is needed around symptoms of testicular cancer, and we need more public ambassadors to help raise awareness.”

By becoming a Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencer, Stephen hopes to bring those conversations into the open and help support the vital mission of Yorkshire Cancer Research to improve early diagnosis of all types of cancer across the region.

Sadly, cancer disproportionally affects people in lower socioeconomic groups and from certain ethnic communities. People in some areas of Yorkshire are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, more likely to be diagnosed at a late stage and less likely to survive cancer when compared to other areas in the region.

The charity is looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds to become Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers to reflect the breadth and diversity of communities across Yorkshire and help fulfil its aim of reducing health inequalities in the region.

Passionate about ensuring diverse voices are at the heart of her research, Professor Munitta Muthana from Sheffield regularly travels to communities across Yorkshire to ensure her work is shaped by people from different ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The University of Sheffield researcher, whose team includes members funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research through its Sheffield Pioneers Fund, has made it her mission to help reduce cancer inequalities in the region by involving people affected by cancer in her research, so it can have the greatest possible impact for people in Yorkshire.  

As a Professor of Immuno-oncology, Munitta’s research explores how viruses and bacteria can be used to treat and cure cancers. She believes stepping outside the laboratory and going directly into communities is equally important as the pioneering work she and her team carry out at the university.

Munitta said: “Involving people affected by cancer is an essential part of cancer research. We want to be confident the treatments we develop work for people from all backgrounds, encourage participation in clinical research and hear first-hand people’s cancer experiences, so we can make improvements in the future.

“I encourage people to join the Yorkshire Cancer Research Influencers and help shape the charity’s important work, so it can continue to save lives in our region.”

Juliet Glendinning, Director of Brand, Marketing and Communication at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “The experiences of people affected by cancer are at the heart of the charity’s mission, shaping every aspect of its efforts to create a Yorkshire free from cancer. To have the greatest impact in our region and truly be here for Yorkshire, the work of Yorkshire Cancer Research must be guided by people who receive cancer treatment here, use our region’s healthcare services and experience the cancer issues and challenges facing local communities.

“Whether supporting the development of innovative cancer services, informing impactful fundraising campaigns, or helping influence healthcare and government policy through advocacy, every voice matters.  No matter who you are or where you live, your cancer experience can make a difference and help save lives in Yorkshire.”