Katie McCabe, Beth Mead, Leah Williamson promote the Defend Your Tomorrow campaign
Some of the leading stars of Arsenal Women will feature in the launch of a cervical cancer public health campaign which will feature in this weekend’s North London Derby.
The creation of the Defend Your Tomorrow initiative has been developed and funded by MSD UK, known as Merck and Co in the United States, in collaboration with The Eve Appeal, a leading gynaecological cancer charity. It is aimed at reaching the NHS’s goal of eliminating the disease by 2040.
They hope by targeting the diverse fan groups which has made Arsenal the best supported women’s team in the world this season, they can alleviate disparities in access to the NHS vaccination programme and NHS screening program contributing to potentially preventable cases and deaths.
Over 50,000 tickets have been sold for the game which is expected to attract the largest crowd of the Women’s Super League season so far. England captain Leah Williamson said “this week is about what it means to represent Arsenal and the badge we play for. The North London Derby is always special to us and our community. We want to see our home packed out to create that special energy and buzz that only this game can.”
“But it’s also our time to come together to protect what is special to us – our health, our friends, our families, and our extended north London community – against cervical cancer. We know that almost all cases may be preventable, and we need to come together to protect our futures.”
During their match against local rivals Tottenham Hostpur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, a series of matchday messages and activities are taking place to encourage supporters to visit their General Practioners or visit the Defend Your Tomorrow website for further information.
The club will also deliver education sessions around the disease and its prevention across North London over the next 12 months, supporting NHS England in engaging communities who face the greatest health inequalities, who are the least served and who need the most support.
Williamson alongside Beth Mead, Katie McCabe, Manu Zinsberger and Kyra Cooney-Cross will spearhead the campaign talking about possible prevention through existing NHS services such as the NHS cervical screening program and NHS vaccination program.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 31: Beth Mead of England celebrates with their family with the Top Goalscorer … [+]
The presence of Mead, who lost her mother in January 2023 after a long battle with ovarian cancer, is particularly poignant. It was following her mum’s terminal diagnosis in the summer of 2021 that Mead was inspired to have the best season in her career, culminating with the six goals at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 which propelled England to the title on home soil and herself to a plethora of individual awards. She said at the time that “my motivation was my mum. . . I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to make her happy.”
Mead is also an ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Action. Each year, supporters walk 100km to raise funds for the campaign. Last March, the Arsenal players also took part in that awareness month displaying shirts with the slogan “Walk In Her Name” ahead of their League Cup semi-final against Aston Villa at Borehamwood.
BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND – MARCH 06: The players of Arsenal pose for a team photo as Leah Williamson of … [+]
“We are thrilled to launch the ‘Defend Your Tomorrow’ campaign aimed at raising awareness of cervical cancer and its prevention,” said Ben Lucas, the Managing Director of MSD UK & Ireland. “By harnessing the passion and reach of women’s football, particularly through our engagement with Arsenal Women, we can connect with diverse communities across the United Kingdom in meaningful dialogue about this significant health challenge. We hope this campaign will encourage everyone to seek more information about cervical cancer.”
The CEO of The Eve Appeal, Athena Lamnisos, added that “the possibility of eliminating cervical cancer is within our reach. A remarkable achievement and something that will save thousands of lives a year in the United Kingdom. We are delighted to stand with MSD and Arsenal to help raise awareness of cervical cancer and what we can all do to help prevent it and treat it at the earliest stage.”
“We hope this campaign will reach the communities who are often left out of the health conversation. We want every person eligible to be able to defend their tomorrow and access all the information they need about HPV vaccination and cervical screening. For any further information or support on cervical cancer prevention, Eve is here to help everyone kick cervical cancer into touch.”
Williamson finished off by saying “we’re asking all our supporters to visit their GP or DefendYourTomorrow.co.uk for further advice about cervical cancer.”
