Hemel cancer survivor encourages people to check themselves this Breast Cancer Awareness Month

A woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year is encouraging people in Dacorum to check themselves and know their chests in a bid to catch the disease early.

Georgie-May Tearle, who has now finished active treatment, has become a Boobette for the charity, CoppaFeel.

The Boobettes are a group of young people who have been affected by breast cancer and are ambassadors for the breast cancer awareness charity.

Georgie-May explained: “It’s just knowing your normal, I think that a lot of people are afraid of checking just in case.”

She said: "It's just a nice, safe environment to have a conversation with someone that knows possibly how you feel.”

Together with artist and Dacorum Arts Hub curator, Anna Schofield, Georgie-May has organised a full month of fundraising and awareness events for residents.

Based at Dacorum Arts Hub in Marlowes Shopping Centre, Georgie-May will host art workshops and talks about knowing how your body feels, to spot signs of cancer in breast tissue.

Georgie-May said: “I'm just there to raise awareness and encourage them to check themselves and obviously if there is anything, ultimately they need to go and see their GP, but it's just the encouragement to check.

“The knowing isn't scary. We're not looking for cancer.”

These sessions aren’t just for women, men are invited along too.

Despite breast cancer being rarer in men, about 390 men in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Here is the schedule for the events this month:

This Saturday (October 15), there will be a Georgia O’Keeffe-inspired painting workshop at 10:30am and a ‘Know Your Normal’ talk at 2pm.

Next week (October 15), at 2pm there will be another breast-checking talk, a Q&A session and a beaded bookmark drop-in workshop for families.

The Dacorum Arts Hub gallery is hosting a month-long fundraiser for the charities Look Good Feel Better and Coppa Feel, with free and paid events happening throughout October.

At last week’s launch on October 8, over £300 was raised during the life-drawing class.

For more information and to book for an event, visit this page.