Raising our voices in Parliament
Chaired by Sharon Hodgson MP, and with well over 150 people attending, including young survivors Chantel Sykes and Natasha Hammerton (below) the event was a huge success, putting ovarian cancer firmly on the political agenda.
Survivor Lindy Waldron (left) spoke as did Sharon Hodgson MP, Ann Keen MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health Services (centre), Ovarian cancer action CEO Annwen Jones along with actor and Ovarian cancer action Patron Gwyneth Strong (far right) who lost her mother to the disease.
Other speakers included Dr Ian Gibson MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, who emphasised the importance of groups such as Ovarian cancer action being active and gaining publicity for the cause, and Breakthrough Breast Cancer Chief Executive Jeremy Hughes who highlighted the link between familial breast and familial ovarian cancer, the importance of joint awareness programmes and prompt access to genetic testing.
Sharon Hodgson MP said: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to work with Ovarian cancer action to raise the profile of ovarian cancer within Parliament."
Annwen Jones, Ovarian cancer action Chief Executive commented: "MPs can play a vital part in ensuring that ovarian cancer is clearly on the political agenda, and that we make significant progress towards saving lives. I hope that the new Cancer Plan will be able to address, in particular issues, around awareness and early detection of ovarian cancer".