Supporting fishing communities to be cancer aware

“Trying to get a fisherman to go and see their doctor is a challenge,” explains Brian Chambers, who is a retired fisherman. “If he comes off the ship, the ship may sail without him and that's them gone for 3 months. He's lost all that work. He can't survive. You only get paid when you're at sea.”

It’s exactly these kinds of health challenges that the C-Aware project aims to address. Working alongside Fisherman’s Mission, an organisation which supports active and former fisherman and sea-going staff in the North East of England, Macmillan are helping to solve the issues the community faces by working in partnership.

The C-Aware project is part of a wider community engagement programme called Cancer Champions. Macmillan partners with organisations to recruit and train volunteers who will then support people with cancer in their local community and improve access to treatment by removing the barriers that exist.

One of the first projects to launch is C-Aware, which partners with North Shields-based Fisherman's Mission.

Fishermen's Mission support active and former fishermen and sea-going staff who work the in the UK aquaculture industry, as well as migrant fishermen working on UK vessels. The team provide a 24-hour emergency response service to any fishing vessel working in UK waters, assisting with injury, or loss at sea.

“Fishing is not a 9 to 5 job,” says Marc Evans, who is chief executive of Fisherman’s Mission. “It's very difficult for a fisherman to pick up the phone on a Monday morning and try to make an appointment with their local GP. So, what we've tried to do is intercede with a lot of healthcare concerns the fishermen have, by bringing healthcare specialists to the quayside prevent healthcare issues.”

The difficulties people who work in the fishing industry face getting access to healthcare are highlighted by some of the fishermen at North Shields Fish Quay, who were asked about their experiences:

“It’s the fear of knowing what’s wrong with me that puts me off attending health appointments.” Mick 

C-Aware will recruit volunteer cancer champions and offer flexible and bespoke cancer education sessions alongside community focus groups. The aim is to increase cancer awareness and break down the barriers to accessing cancer screening, treatment, and support. For example, raising awareness about skin cancer as this is a frequent cancer for the fishing community.

Deb Johnstone, C-Aware programme manager, says: "We want to normalise conversations about cancer and health, give practical support and ensure the community know who we are and that we’re here to help. Recruiting and developing cancer champions for the C-Aware Project in North Shields over the next 3 years will help achieve these aims."

Marc Evans, chief executive of the Fisherman's Mission, adds: “The Fishermen’s Mission has a longstanding history of supporting the community of North Shields. We have been proud to serve active and former fishermen and their families for many decades and with new service we’ll be ensuring conversations about cancer become commonplace and concerns about symptoms will be addressed much quicker.”

Healthcare within the fishing community is something that is often overlooked. The importance of The Cancer Champion Programme and others like this is something that cannot be missed.

Practical and emotional support

• We have information about different cancer types including symptoms, tests and treatments.
• Find out more about our specialist support services, their opening times and the different ways you can contact them.

Become a C-Aware volunteer cancer champion

We need to recruit cancer champions from the local community who can provide information and signposting to local support services. No previous experience or training is necessary. If you are interested in and local to North Shields, please contact us. We would love to hear from you.

More information

This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan's Digital Content Editor team and checked by Macmillan's Cancer Information Development team.

Learn more about our Digital Content Editors and how we produce our cancer information.