Community Action to Promote Early Detection of cancer (CAPED)

The CAPED (Community Action to Promote Early Detection of cancer) is a community and workplace initiative in Bury, Greater Manchester.

Funded externally by the Department of Health and MacMillan, CAPED raises awareness of the early signs and symptoms of cancer, promotes the importance of early diagnosis and encourages participation in the NHS Screening programmes. Using the skills and knowledge of locally recruited volunteers, known as CAPED Crusaders, CAPED is able to actively engage with people on a peer to peer level as well as those hard to reach communities of Bury.

Late presentation of cancer is a problem in Bury with around 450 people a year dying from the disease; By working in partnership with local employers and community groups, CAPED aims to increase awareness of cancer and tackle the fear of cancer that many people have. By utilising the skills and knowledge of locally recruited volunteers - CAPED Crusaders - CAPED has success in engaging on a peer to peer level and often find that people need the reassurance of someone advising them that it is best to see their GP about their health concerns or to discuss attending screening. A few examples of the community and workplace engagement activity are cancer & screening market information stalls; live cookery demonstrations to encourage people to eat healthily and learn more about ways to reduce cancer risk; walk through inflatable bowel and providing cancer information in easily accessible locations such as the libraries’