Swindon woman recovering from womb cancer helps raise £15k

The Women's Health Netball Festival welcomed more than 400 players

A woman who is in recovery from endometrial cancer combined her passion for netball and women's health to help raise more than £15,000 for charity.

Mo Squires and Wiltshire Netball put on the Women's Health Netball Festival on Sunday, welcoming hundreds of players.

She described the event as "fantastic" and added: "We set ourselves a target of £15,000 and we've smashed it".

The money will be shared between Brighter Futures, MacMillan Support and Prospect Hospice.

Ms Squires was diagnosed with endometrial cancer last September and spoke to Wiltshire Netball about raising awareness of womb cancer before undergoing surgery.

"It then spawned into not just womb cancer but women's health and wellbeing and then a multi-generational event. "It's fantastic how its grown," she said.

Players ranged in age from five to over 80

Anna Young the Wiltshire Netball Development Officer said the female focussed health awareness festival was "all about empowering women".

"I'm sure everyone has been touched by cancer in different things... [and] some members of our netball association have had their own journeys and really wanted to raise awareness for women."

She said the event, which hosted health stands, was "all about the fun and all about the education as well".

"With England Netball's message of being female focussed this festival could not speak any truer than that," she said.

The event tied in with the launch of Netball Her which is "unapologetically" female focussed, offering information for women on periods and menopause and other under informed areas on the website.

The money will be shared between Brighter Futures, MacMillan Support and Prospect Hospice

The event "really just helped raise awareness and make sure that we are looking after and protecting our female community," said Ms Young.

Ms Squires said she was pleased the event did "fantastically well".

She said it was important to raise awareness of womb cancer because there "aren't really many symptoms apart form a post-menopausal bleed".

"I've made a really good recovery but I was told that's because I was fit and it was caught early.

"If something happens to you and its not normal get it checked," she added.