TOUR OF HOPE 30 – THE ROY CASTLE FOUNDATION AND LUNG CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMME WORKING TOGETHER

On 20 July 1994, Roy Castle, the beloved entertainer of stage and screen, set out on an epic 3 day journey across the United Kingdom to raise awareness of lung cancer and raise funds for essential research.

Roy’s journey became known as ‘The Tour of Hope’.  Donations eventually totalled over £1million.

Newcastle was one of the cities he visited on his tour. The Roy Castle Foundation was keen to reach out to the North East to mark the 30 year anniversary of his visit.  They teamed up with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme for a return trip.

On 8 October, they were at ASDA Boldon. On 9 October, they were in Jarrow town centre, along with the NHS MELISSA bus.

Helen Bone, Lung Cancer Screening Programme Manager for South Tyneside and Sunderland said: “It was really good to work alongside the Roy Castle Foundation as they are very experienced in promotion, and it was important to help mark 30 years since Roy Castle did his 3 day ‘Tour of Hope’ across the UK.  Lung Cancer continues to cause more deaths than any other cancer in the UK.  We were able to do a number of lung health checks on the bus and booked several future appointments.   Our posters are now distributed far and wide in pharmacies, charity shops, supermarkets, library and vape shops.”

If you, or somebody you know, receives an invitation to a Lung Health Check, don’t ignore it – a 10-20 minute telephone appointment could save your life or their life!

For further information: nencicb.nca@nhs.net