B&M inspired by colleague to join our #GetOnARoll campaign

B&M is the latest in a growing number of retailers to join our #GetOnARoll campaign, inspired by a colleague diagnosed with bowel cancer. They'll help to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer by updating their own brand toilet roll packaging to display the symptoms of the disease.

The new packaging will start to roll out in B&M stores nationwide this week.

The discount retailer was inspired to get on board after one of their store colleagues, Jayne, was diagnosed with bowel cancer and asked B&M if they'd support our campaign.

When Jayne started to feel unwell and continuously felt extremely tired, she thought her symptoms might be linked to the menopause. Following a visit to her GP and undergoing routine tests, she was referred for further tests, including a colonoscopy. She was diagnosed with stage 1 bowel cancer in April 2022, and after surgery to remove the tumour, has now been given the all-clear.

Fatigue is one of the key symptoms of bowel cancer to look out for, as well as bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo, a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, extreme tiredness for no obvious reason and a pain or lump in your tummy.

During her treatment, Jayne visited our website for advice and also read about our #GetOnARoll campaign. She contacted B&M's People Business Partner to see if they could get the company to join up. She was thrilled when they said they'd be happy to support.

As part of the campaign, B&M has also donated £20,000 to help us fund future initiatives to help us save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer.

Mandy Iannantuoni, People Business Partner from B&M Stores said: "We're delighted to be able to support Bowel Cancer UK's #GetOnARoll campaign. The business was so inspired by Jayne's story, the incredible bravery she has shown and her mission to help others that sadly could find themselves in the same situation. It makes us incredibly proud as a business to support the campaign and know that it could help save more lives of both our colleagues and customers in the future."

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK: "We're incredibly proud of Jayne for turning her own personal experience of bowel cancer into a legacy that has the potential to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease to millions of B&M's valued customers.

"We're thrilled that B&M will be featuring the symptoms of bowel cancer on their loo roll packaging, as part of our #GetOnARoll campaign. Nearly 43,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, but fewer than four in 10 people are diagnosed in the early stages, when the disease is easier to treat. We can change this and raising awareness of those red flag symptoms plays a huge part.

"We're looking forward to working together with B&M and seeing them put into action all their exciting plans for raising awareness of bowel cancer in their stores across the country. Their help could make millions more people across the UK aware of the early signs to look out for and will undoubtedly save lives from bowel cancer in the future."

B&M is one of ten retailers already signed up to #GetOnARoll, including M&S, Andrex and Asda. The #GetOnARoll campaign asked supermarkets across the country to display bowel cancer symptoms on their own brand toilet roll – where people need to see them most – to raise vital awareness of bowel cancer symptoms.

• Learn more about the symptoms of bowel cancer

• Read about our #GetOnARoll campaign