Cervical cancer roadshow to tour Scotland

A £100,000 campaign raising awareness of the symptoms of cervical cancer is to tour Scotland in the summer.

The roadshow, run by Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, aims to save lives in places with low screening uptake.

About one in four women in Scotland do not attend smear tests despite them being the best way to detect the potentially fatal condition.

Volunteers will provide information on spotting the signs of cervical cancer and how to reduce risk.

• Watch: What happens during a smear test

The Scottish government is funding the campaign through its £100m cancer strategy to improve prevention, detection, treatment and survival rates.

Innovative approaches

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "We are making inroads in tackling cancer but we need to go further and develop innovative approaches that ensure everyone can get the information on screening they need, and raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer.

"Cervical cancer is largely preventable and screening is the best way to protect against the disease, yet one in four Scottish women still don't get their regular smear tests.

"That is why this campaign is so important and will help us to catch cancer at the earliest stages."

Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust chief executive Robert Music said: "We are delighted that the Scottish government has funded us to bring our hugely successful Be Cervix Savvy Roadshow to Scotland.

"Starting in June and travelling over five weeks, we will be speaking to women across Scotland about how they can reduce their risk of cervical cancer.

"In particular, we hope to save lives by focusing on areas where cervical screening uptake is especially low."

The campaign begins on 18 June and will visit Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and locations in Fife and Lanarkshire yet to be announced.