THE MAYOR of Barnsley Coun Steve Green is urging people to go for cancer screenings as he undergoes one himself.

The push is part of an appeal by Be Cancer Safe, a scheme which arranges talks in workplaces, shops and public places with the aim of increasing the number of people who attend cancer screenings which is near its lowest in Barnsley when compared with the rest of the country.

The Mayor recently underwent a screening for bowel cancer and is encouraging people to do the same rather than delay.

“I am a typical male, putting things to one side,” Coun Green said. “I was given a testing kit because of my age I’m now 60 but it was sat on the windowsill for a couple of weeks before these people came to see me.

“I had a meeting with them on the Tuesday and sent the test off on Wednesday.

“They do a fantastic job in raising awareness. Our theme for the year is volunteers and this group are exactly what we want to promote.”

Last week the Mayor met with Be Cancer Safe’s two project workers for Barnsley, Kathryn Wild and Ian Duffy, to discuss the group’s strategies for reaching as wide an audience as possible.

Kathryn, 36, said: “Be Cancer Safe is a social movement that looks at ways of getting people talking and raising awareness of what screenings people are entitled to, and encouraging them to just be aware of the signs and symptoms of different types of cancer.

“Even if they feel unable to do the screening at that time, we want to make sure people know what to do and where to go.

Be Cancer Safe is looking for people to appoint as ‘cancer champions’ people who are willing to talk about cancer screenings and encourage others to schedule them.

They will also have stands at Morrisons at Cortonwood on September 22 and 23, the Wath-upon-Dearne Tesco store on October 2 and B and Q at Cortonwood on October 12, and the group is inviting members of the public to come and talk about their concerns, experiences and how they can get involved.

Details on how to contact the group can be found here.