Awareness raising in the community

[DelaneyBullied]

Hi everyone,

My name is Delaney. At the BLF, I coordinate COPD and lung cancer awareness campaigns. Recently, we’ve been running campaigns in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale in England, and Glasgow, the Forth Valley, and Grampian in Scotland. We run the campaigns in a variety of ways – sending out information packs by post, calling households in areas known to be high risk for lung disease, and holding public lung function testing events. To find out if we are running events in your area, you can check the BLF website: blf.org.uk/Page/Awareness-a...

I’m always interested in what other charities and organisations are doing in terms of awareness raising efforts. Last week, I visited a cancer awareness raising stand at the Central Shopping Centre in Croydon. Run by NHS London, the London Councils, and the Mayor of London, this “pop-up shop” is open for a month to raise awareness of cancer symptoms by encouraging members of the public to “get to know cancer”, which is “treatable, even beatable”. If you live in the area, I’d really recommend checking it out. Details can be found at: gettoknowcancer.org

It was great to visit the cancer awareness stand – it’s always great to share ideas and challenges with other like-minded organisations. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well – what would make you stop at a disease awareness raising stand in a public venue? Would a free health check make you stop and take part? Do free give-aways catch your eye? What would convince you to stop and take part? What would make you avoid this type of event?

I'm really look forward to your feedback – we’re always keen to make sure that we’re making our public events as engaging as possible in order to help support anyone affected by lung disease.

Best wishes,

Delaney

[lemondrop]

COPD has a higher mortality rate than lung cancer that holds a higher profile with more money donated in the many cancer charities. How many even know what COPD is, when they ask now Emphysema is the answer that does not get a huh ? from those that new what Bronchitis and Emphysema are, re-branding with the name change onto COPD has lost the people that could support you.

columbustelegram.com/news/l...

[Hidden]

Lots of information to be gained from other charity organisations, coffee mornings, donate a book and take another away of your choice for a £1. Here is BHF's page on fundraising.

bhf.org.uk/get-involved/fun...

.

[Hidden]

Coffee morning with home made cakes would entice me

Being approached in the street would put me off.

[Hidden]

Raising awareness does not seem to be working very well. I (and many others) had not heard of COPD before being diagnosed and I had not heard of many other lung diseases discussed on this site. Neither was I even aware of the BLF's existence until this summer when I found this site by accident. However, we are all aware of lung cancer, which seems to get the bulk of the money and all of the publicity, though COPD is the third biggest killer in this country. There is something very wrong somewhere.

[Firethorn]

Why is there no TV coverage. There is so much about Cancer even Strokes are covered. I unfortunately suffer from Alopecia so many people think that as I am bald I have cancer when I tell its not and I have COPD and Alopecia they just say "oh" as though it is nothing. I think TV is the best media to inform the masses.

Kate

[bobless]

I can hold a normal conversation most of the time and appear to friends past and present as if i am fine and they can not get there heads round my difficulties , as said previously all understand cancer and emphsema but not copd

[evo1510]

i have copd(enphsema) and lost my husband to it nearly 9 years ago..i have worked in a cancer research shop as a volunteer for the last 8 years.and i know how much they take each week from donations of anything in the shop.as i had a bad flare up of my copd and not well enough to work there doing what i did now. and beeing on this site and realiseing this conplaint is closer to my heart.i shall be doing what ever i can for this complaint.as id dose not get enough funding etc...