MACMILLAN CANCER RELIEF'S CANCER TALK

EDM number 947 in 2001-02, proposed by Patsy Calton on 06/03/2002.

That this House welcomes Macmillan Cancer Relief's Cancer Talk, an innovative educational initiative to counter common classroom myths and misconceptions about cancer; applauds the cross-party support that Macmillan Cancer Relief's Cancer Talk has secured from the many honourable Members who have kindly issued press releases, written to local schools and arranged media photocalls to highlight Cancer Talk Week from 4th to 8th March; notes that Cancer Talk is an ongoing education programme designed with great sensitivity and with advice from teachers, child psychiatrists and parents to tackle a very real problem, namely the danger that misconceptions compound ignorance, stigma and isolation for the millions of pupils and young people, teachers and parents affected by cancer; further notes that new MORI research shows that while two-thirds of children know somebody affected by cancer and nearly half have had a family member with cancer, ignorance abounds, underlining a real need for accurate information to raise awareness and understanding of cancer which four in 10 of each honourable Member's constitutents will develop in their lifetime, including childhood cancers affecting one in 600 of those aged under 15 years; welcomes the statements of support from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Right honourable Estelle Morris MP, Gary Lineker, whose son had cancer, the S Club 7 pop group and actors from Grange Hill and Hollyoaks; and calls on all honourable Members to make a date in their diaries for next year's Cancer Talk Week in February 2003 and give their wholehearted support to this record-breaking initiative for which 4,000 schools have registered this year alone.

This motion has been signed by a total of 70 MPs.