North East London Cancer Alliance supports Bangladeshi Women's Health Forum Mela

The North East London Cancer Alliance (NELCA) recently attended the Bangladeshi Women's Health Forum Mela, joining local partners to raise awareness of cancer prevention and encourage conversations about screening and vaccination within the community.

Working alongside North Central London Cancer Alliance (NCLCA), the team hosted an information stand where they spoke with attendees about a range of cancer-related topics, including the importance of cancer screening and the HPV vaccination programme. As families were invited to attend together, the event provided an opportunity to engage with women, men and young people, helping to answer questions and signpost people to trusted health information.

The event welcomed more than 100 attendees with a lively programme of community activities, cultural performances and entertainment creating a welcoming environment for local residents.

Throughout the day, NELCA and NCLCA distributed a wide range of health information leaflets and had meaningful conversations with members of the Bangladeshi community. Young people and their parents were also given information about the HPV vaccine, helping to raise awareness of its role in preventing certain cancers.

Several organisations attended the mela to engage with the community, including Vaccination UK. A fun activity encouraged visitors to collect a stamp from every information stall before receiving refreshments, helping to ensure attendees visited and engaged with each organisation.

The event also provided an opportunity to promote wider cancer awareness initiatives. Representatives from the alliances were interviewed by four Bangladeshi television channels about the importance of community engagement and improving awareness     of cancer prevention within ethnically diverse communities.

In addition, JPA Health attended to capture interviews in support of the new lung cancer awareness campaign. These included conversations with community representatives to help ensure future awareness campaigns are informed by local voices and are culturally relevant.

Sherrice Weekes, Project Manager at North East London Cancer Alliance said: "Community events such as the Bangladeshi Women's Health Forum Mela play an important role in helping to reduce health inequalities by taking health information directly into communities". By working alongside trusted local organisations, NELCA continues to encourage earlier diagnosis, improve awareness of cancer prevention and screening, and ensure that more people can access the information and support they need.