Dame Deborah James' legacy funds our vital work to raise awareness of bowel cancer

We're delighted to announce that we've been awarded £883,000 from the Bowelbabe Fund to support a comprehensive bowel cancer awareness roadshow and primary care education programme in communities most affected by poor bowel cancer outcomes. This is all thanks to the generosity of people who were inspired by our incredible patron, the late Dame Deborah James.

Dame Deborah, known as Bowelbabe, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35. Up until her death in June 2022, she was a formidable supporter of the charity who did so much to raise awareness of the disease. Her candour and honesty in talking about her bowel cancer journey reached millions of people through social media, TV, radio, her two books, her weekly column on The Sun online, and the BBC podcast 'You, Me & the Big C'.

In her final weeks, fuelled by her spirit of 'rebellious hope' and passion to help others, Deborah worked to establish the Bowelbabe Fund to support charities she was passionate about, including Bowel Cancer UK, which to date has raised £11.3 million.

The funding awarded will enable us to deliver volunteer-led talks and create a comprehensive awareness roadshow travelling the length and breadth of the UK, talking about bowel cancer risk, signs, symptoms, and the importance of screening. The roadshows will prioritise talking to older adults in areas where uptake of bowel cancer screening is lower, to younger people who may experience symptoms, and to people living in areas where they are less likely to survive a diagnosis of the disease.

Alongside the awareness roadshows, funding from the Bowelbabe Fund will help support us in creating e-learning modules, webinars, and face to face learning sessions for GPs and pharmacy staff across the UK to build their knowledge on symptoms and risk factors, allowing them to confidently have conversations with people about bowel cancer.

Catherine Winsor, Director of Services at Bowel Cancer UK, says: "We're incredibly grateful for the generosity of the public, supporting Dame Deborah's wish to further the work of those charities close to her heart. The Bowelbabe funding for our exciting awareness activity and primary care education will have a huge impact in communities hardest hit by poorer bowel cancer outcomes. It will also ensure we can support GPs to make swifter decisions and better referrals for diagnostic tests – or, put another way, to help them find those needles in the haystacks more quickly. This work will proceed with a scale and impact that Deborah would have been so proud of.

"Each of the charities close to Deborah's heart have received funding, and more importantly, people with bowel cancer now and in the future will benefit from her legacy."

• Read Deborah's story
• Learn about the symptoms of bowel cancer
• We invited people to share a message, memory or a little bit about how Deborah's story has had an impact on them, on our message board