Everyone at Beating Bowel Cancer would like to thank all those in the local area who took part in our Decembeard fundraising campaign last month.

We are delighted to announce that we have reached our target of £250,000, which will help us to support people with bowel cancer and their families and to raise awareness of the disease, and the need for early diagnosis.

The aim of the campaign, which asks men to ditch their razors and grow a beard throughout December, is to break down the stigma of talking about bowel cancer, which is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.

Over a hundred people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every day, yet over 90% of cases can be treated successfully if caught early. So it’s vital that people become more aware of the symptoms so they can act quickly.

Decembeard is a fun way for individuals or teams to raise funds and help to increase awareness of the disease. It’s easy to do and thousands signed up for it this year. We’d like to thank every one of them for their support.

If anyone has any queries or concerns about bowel cancer, there’s lots of information and advice on our website or they can call our Nurse Helpline on 020 8973 0011.

Mark Flannagan, CEO, Beating Bowel Cancer