Bradford and Airedale Bowel Screening Centre

24/09/2025

Excellent feedback from a patient about their care with Bradford and Airedale Bowel Screening Centre and Airedale Hospital NHSFT:

‘’Amazing quick service. Having no symptoms at all found through screening I had bowel cancer.
If I hadn’t been screened at age 56 it could be a whole different story so I tell everyone to do the test, ideally bringing the age down would have been better but now going through chemo having had a stoma’’

This shows how important it is to do the bowel screening FIT test, even if you don’t have symptoms.

Since March 2025 Bradford and Airedale have been inviting people aged 50-74 for bowel screening.

We wish the patient all the best with their treatment.

24/09/2025

Women’s Cancer Awareness Event

Join us:
🗓️ October 12th
🕜 1:30pm
📍 Islam Bradford Centre, 1 City Road, BD8 8ER

for a special talk on gynaecological and breast cancers.

Hosted by Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ nurse specialists, the IslamBradford Centre Sisters, and Safeena Muslim Cancer Support Network charity, this event will cover self-care, screening, and support.

No registration needed - just come along. Let’s raise awareness and support women’s health in Bradford!

18/09/2025

We’re back to bust more myths surrounding bowel cancer!

Bowel screening helps spot bowel cancer before symptoms start, when it’s more treatable.

A screening kit will be sent to you in the post if you’re within the age range for screening and are registered with a GP. If you have symptoms, you don’t need to wait for a screening test. Ask your GP for an at-home test.

We understand for some people when you receive your screening test it might feel overwhelming, and you might not know where to start. We’re here to help. Find out more: https://bit.ly/2YYuVVv

22/08/2025

👉 Health education and wellbeing events for people with learning disabilities and/or are neurodivergent (aged 18+)...
📅 Wednesday 10th September, 10am-4pm (Talks from 10.30 am)
📍 Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley, BD21 3JD
📅 Wednesday 17th September, 10am-4pm (Talks from 10.30 am)
📍 Bradford Bulls, Odsal Stadium, BD6 1BS
For adults aged 18+.
✅ Come and find out how to keep yourself healthy, carers welcome!
✅ Workshops and interactive activities. Learn about healthy eating, bowel, breast and cervical screening, stopping smoking, dental care, and how to get involved in mixed ability sports.
✅ These events are brought to you by the NHS, People First Keighley and Craven IMAS
✅ Don't forget to book your places - lunch and refreshments included.
📞 Contact Justine Joy on 07583 100098 or email: justine.joy@bradford.nhs.uk for more information or book online with Eventbrite (links in comments below 👇 )

👉 Health education and wellbeing events for people with learning disabilities and/or are neurodivergent (aged 18+)...

📅 Wednesday 10th September, 10am-4pm (Talks from 10.30 am)
📍 Central Hall, Alice Street, Keighley, BD21 3JD

📅 Wednesday 17th September, 10am-4pm (Talks from 10.30 am)
📍 Bradford Bulls, Odsal Stadium, BD6 1BS


For adults aged 18+.

✅ Come and find out how to keep yourself healthy, carers welcome!

✅ Workshops and interactive activities. Learn about healthy eating, bowel, breast and cervical screening, stopping smoking, dental care, and how to get involved in mixed ability sports.

✅ These events are brought to you by the NHS, People First Keighley and Craven IMAS

✅ Don't forget to book your places - lunch and refreshments included.

📞 Contact Justine Joy on 07583 100098 or email: justine.joy@bradford.nhs.uk for more information or book online with Eventbrite (links in comments below 👇 )

05/08/2025

'I had no symptoms before bowel cancer diagnosis'

A retired nurse is urging people to "do the poo test", after a regular screening led to the discovery of her bowel cancer. The news came as a "bombshell" and she was told: "If I hadn't done the poo test I could have died within 18 months."

She described herself as "fit as a flea" when doctors found a tumour during a colonoscopy in 2022. It followed a routine poo test with the NHS which is offered to people between the ages of 50-74.

Kitty Odell, 64, says a "huge" tumour was discovered in her bowel during her routine screening.

22/04/2025

Research shows that 9 in 10 people survive bowel cancer when it’s diagnosed at the earliest stage. However, this drops significantly when it’s diagnosed at the latest stage. Bowel cancer can affect anyone, whatever your age, gender, ethnicity or where you live.

As a part of our campaign this Bowel Cancer Awareness Month we wanted to share this powerful reminder. If you have symptoms, ask your GP for an at-home test.

We’re here for you every step of the way. If you have questions or need signposting to further support, our nurses are here to help you. You can contact them through our Ask the Nurse service: https://bit.ly/42sJThP

08/04/2025

Phil’s story: Symptoms or not, put your mind at rest. It’s a no-brainer. Bowel screening takes a few minutes and the earlier you know, the better your outcome is likely to be.




I had no symptoms. I did wonder if my poo was looser and a bit more frequent, but the change wasn’t alarming. I tried changing habits, different foods, trying various creams and antacids, but nothing made much difference.

Then I realised I was due my bowel screening test. I’d done the test by post for many years, and it had always returned negative. The test is now very easy and quick to do and I’d recommend it to anyone.

Usually I got a letter a few weeks later saying everything’s fine but not this time. Very quickly I had a colonoscopy appointment at the Royal North Devon Hospital.

I had stage 3 lower re**al adenocarcinoma spreading into two or more local lymph nodes. It had not yet spread elsewhere but was on the point of doing so. All you think is ‘Get it out! Now!’ but it’s a long process.

Treatment was chemotherapy and radiotherapy five days a week, for six weeks.

I had three big operations - a colostomy, an ileostomy and a large part of my colon removed - with a stay or two in hospital for a week or two each time, and long periods of recovery. As the stoma nurses say, ‘We take a year of your life - and then give you back your life.’

My stomas have been removed and I’ve been reconnected, although many people choose not to be.

Looking on the bright side is the most important advice I could give anyone. Be optimistic. Keep laughing. Concentrate on the small happy things. Depression, worry and fear is as much an enemy as the cancer itself.

If you’re nervous about bowel screening I’d say why are you waiting? Don’t wait. This is your chance to take control.

If you’re offered screening, grab the opportunity. It can save your life.

Symptoms or not, put your mind at rest. It’s a no-brainer.
Bowel screening takes a few minutes and the earlier you know, the better your outcome is likely to be. And if you think something is wrong, knowing it and having help from a professional team is better than doing nothing and fearing it alone.

I had one of the worst stages of cancer. Thanks to screening, I found out about it, and with help recovered. Without screening, I wouldn’t have. I’d be dead. With screening, I’m clear of cancer, and I’m here.

04/04/2025

April is .

Bradford and Airedale Centre recently extended to age 50 and 52.

People often think this is not relevant to them, so please share Stephen's story and encourage friends and relatives to complete the bowel screening kit when they receive one:

'I’ve always been in good health and eaten well so I never thought I’d get cancer. But I did.
When I received an NHS bowel screening home test kit in the post I made sure I completed it.
I assumed everything would be ok… but a couple of weeks later I was invited for a colonoscopy and they found a malignant tumour in my bowel. I couldn’t believe it - I had no symptoms.
It turned out I had stage 2 bowel cancer. I was devastated.
Soon after, I had bowel surgery. It was successful and luckily the cancer hadn’t spread. I’ve recovered and have started boxing. I feel as fit as I was before my diagnosis and surgery.
If you do have bowel cancer, finding out early is crucial because the sooner it’s found, the better the outcome.
So, if you’ve got a test kit at home in the back of a drawer, do it today. The chances are there’s nothing to worry about. But it might just save your life!'

02/04/2025

How can you be involved in this year? 🤔

We’re so grateful that every year our incredible community want to rally behind us and get involved in our awareness month. This year we have a range of activities, big and small, for you to get involved with:
• visit one of our roadshows in either Manchester or Portsmouth
• become a Bowel Cancer Awareness Month champion
• join our fundraising challenge
• volunteer to support our policy team and campaign for change
• attend one of our online awareness talks
• cheer on our incredible team of runners at the London Marathon
• shop our new Bowel Cancer Awareness Month collection in our shop

Find out more about each of these fantastic opportunities: https://bit.ly/42dEPRf

02/04/2025

It’s the start of and we’re launching our campaign, . We’re using the power of storytelling to increase awareness and support people affected by the disease. Your story, your experience, your advice and your knowledge can help others, so .

This is Tim’s story.

Tim started to experience symptoms of , aged 50.

“I started to see blood on toilet paper when passing stools – nothing else was untoward so as I had just turned 50, in the middle-aged man territory, I decided to self-diagnose and treat myself for piles (haemorrhoids). I knew access to GP and primary care services was difficult and precious so didn’t want to burden anyone.

“Myself and my wife went away to Cornwall on a gastro tour. We stayed in Padstow and Port Isaac and ate some amazing food. However, even at the beginning of the holiday, I was starting to feel a bit bloated so coupled with a slight change in bowel habits, which seemed to alternate between a bit of constipation or a bit of diarrhoea, still with a bit of bleeding, I suspected it could be IBS.

“I was becoming aware that I was wanting to go to the toilet a lot, especially during the night, with a dual urge to pass urine and pass motions at the same time. Generally, though, it was only urine I would pass but with a bit of blood instead of any stools. The bloated feeling and variable bowel habits continued.

“We had a big holiday planned – a trip to Majorca. We ate out a lot, swam, a lot of home partying. What I did become really aware of though was during the night, I was going to the toilet almost every hour, needing to pass urine, and also pass blood and/or stools. I conceded something was wrong – it took being somewhere different with different toilet arrangements to bring this home.

“Over a nine-day period, I made a total of 92 calls to my GP practice, either getting the engaged tone or automated messages. Again, there was temptation to give up trying but by now, I knew I needed this sorting."

Tim eventually received a cancer diagnosis after a colonoscopy. He underwent surgery to remove the tumour, followed by chemotherapy. Tim adjusted to life with a stoma and focused on recovery, supported by his wife, Sam, and their daughters, Emily and Hannah.

“Be persistent in seeking medical advice or attention, when you do get an appointment, be fully open and honest about your symptoms. This can really help inform the next steps and where required, you being put on the most appropriate care pathway.” A big thanks to Tim for helping raise awareness as we focus on symptoms during the first week of Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.

No-one should face bowel cancer alone. Sharing your story on our wall will help others going through something similar. Share your experience here: https://bit.ly/4c5U6XR

17/03/2025

Great feedback from a Bradford and Airedale Bowel Cancer Screening patient who attended colonoscopy at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS FT and quickly received a diagnosis and treatment for cancer.

"The colonoscopy itself was a much better experience than I imagined.
I was really impressed with the speed of how everything went through from initial sample I posted.
From sending the sample on 22/12/24 I am now a week into recovering from surgery from colon cancer which certainly would not have been found without the bowel screening test"