The Duchess of York became patron of breast cancer charity Prevent Breast Cancer on a visit to Wythenshawe

The Duchess of York has become a patron of the breast cancer charity Prevent Breast Cancer and vowed to do all she can to raise awareness of the importance of prevention and early detection. Following her own experience of breast cancer in 2023, the Duchess has joined forces with the UK charity to help promote its work and fundraise for a new National Breast Imaging Academy.

She was introduced to the charity by Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor, who is also a patron, when they both appeared on Loose Women. The pair discussed their personal experiences of breast cancer on the ITV show this summer, prompting Sally to introduce the Duchess to Prevent Breast Cancer.

The two women joined forced today in Wythenshawe on as the charity launched a public appeal as it aims to raise £600,000 to secure the future of the National Breast Imaging Academy in Manchester. Its aim is to train 50 new breast imaging specialists a year to benefit and strengthen breast services across the UK, as well as increasing screening capacity in Manchester by 13,000 appointments annually.

Commenting on her new patronage, Sarah, Duchess of York, said: “I know first-hand what it feels like to hear the words ‘breast cancer’ and learn that you are facing a life-changing diagnosis, course of treatment and recovery. It’s the news everyone dreads but I consider myself one of the lucky ones, because my cancer was caught early at a routine mammogram which meant that my prognosis was good.

“It’s thanks to my mammogram that I’m here today, so I can’t overstate how important it is that women go for their routine appointments whenever they are called up. It’s extremely worrying that a third of women are missing their screening at the moment.

“The fact is that the NHS screening programme is also under significant pressure from staffing shortfalls and the future of this programme could be at risk if we don’t act now to protect it. The National Breast Imaging Academy offers a solution: training new experts and increasing screening capacity to protect our national breast screening programme and save lives in the years ahead.”

Corrie legend Sally was delighted that Sarah has joined her and fellow Corrie star Sue Cleaver in supporting the appeal in Manchester. Sally was aged 46 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, having only checked herself after her Corrie character Sally was also being treated for the disease.

She says she feels it was “fate” that the two women met on Loose Women.

Sally said: “The moment I met Sarah when we did Loose Women, I knew we had a bond. Sarah’s down to earth, she’s kind, she’s gentle, she’s understanding and I knew as soon as I talked to her about what we were trying to do in the north west I knew she’d be really interested in what we were doing, but I was amazed when she said she would come up to Manchester to support Prevent Breast Cancer and said ‘I will help you raise that money’.

“We’d only met for an hour or so when Sarah agreed that and I was bowled over, I can’t tell you how excited I was. The Duchess of York is coming up to Manchester! I’ve been giddy about it ever since.

“It’s wonderful now to come this month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and someone like Sarah who has been through breast cancer, it doesn’t discriminate, doesn’t care who you are, it can happen to anyone. That’s why it’s so important that Sarah has opened up and telling us about her story and what’s happened and wanting to help so many women that this academy will do. It will save so many lives, it’s so important.”

The Academy is set to commence construction next month and will be located at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). Prevent Breast Cancer is jointly fundraising for its construction with Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Charity and together the two organisations have already secured over 80% of the costs required to build it. Now, they are asking the public for their support in fundraising the final £600,000.

The Duchess did a full tour of the Nightingale Centre on Wednesday and met a host of women who are ambassadors for Prevent Breast Cancer and had their own stories to share of how they were diagnosed and the treatment they have received. Among them was Keisha Chadwick, 31, from Ashton, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of just 28 when her baby was seven weeks old.

She had chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and radiotherapy and has now been given the all clear. Keisha said: “It was great to meet the Duchess and share my story with her. It just goes to show breast cancer doesn’t discriminate – whether you’re a Duchess, a nurse like me or Sally off Corrie we’ve all been brought together because of breast cancer.”

She also met ambassador Rebecca Hartley, 47, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37. Rebecca says: “She asked my story and how I found out, and I congratulated her on the news of her impending new grandchild which she loved, she said it’s great to have good news in the family.”

Breast cancer affects almost 57,000 women a year in the UK, making it the most common cancer in the country. Around a third of breast cancers are diagnosed through routine mammogram appointments and often these women have experienced no warning signs like lumps or breast changes.

Nikki Barraclough, chief executive of Prevent Breast Cancer, added: “Every day, over 155 women hear the news that they have breast cancer. Every single one of those women will have had a mammogram to confirm their cancer. If we don’t have enough experts then early cancers will be missed, women will have to wait longer for tests, and lives will be put at risk.

“The National Breast Imaging Academy is already providing support for trainees across the country but is currently unable to offer hands-on clinical training on a large scale. We are now raising funds for a permanent home for it in Manchester and we need your help to secure its future. This incredible facility will train 50 new experts every year who can go on to work all over the country, helping both the NHS breast screening programme and the thousands of women every year who find a lump and need an urgent mammogram.

“I am thrilled to have The Duchess on board as patron of Prevent Breast Cancer. Her own experiences mean that she knows as well as any of us the importance of our mission to create a future free from breast cancer, and I am sure that she will use her voice to help us reach more women around the world.”

The Duchess joins a host of fellow patrons including Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver, actress Victoria Ekanoye, and newsreader and host of The Krypton Factor, Gordon Burns, in supporting the charity. She is also a patron to numerous charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust, the British Heart Foundation and the Natasha Allergy Foundation, and has established her own charities including Sarah’s Trust.