Charlotte Smith was ‘moved’ by a poster she saw in the changing rooms at her local M&S, as she said it could be ‘life-saving’ and praised the shop for the encouraging move
One poster in an M&S changing room could help save a life.
If you’ve ever been into a shop changing room or a public bathroom, you’ll probably have noticed posters on the back of the door. Most of the time these are adverts for things the shop might be selling, but M&S have been praised by one shopper recently for taking a different approach with their in-store posters – as they could be life-changing.
Charlotte Smith said she was left “caught up in a web of emotions” during a recent visit to her local M&S, as she stepped into the changing room and found a breast cancer awareness poster on the door reminding her to “touch, look, check” – advice we should all follow.
Charlotte, a reporter for Wales Online, explained she experienced her own breast cancer scare a few years ago, so was “moved” by Marks and Spencer’s decision to put the “informative and potentially life-saving” poster in their changing room cubicles. She said the poster asks women to see if they “notice anything out of the ordinary” with their breasts, and lists all the warning signs and symptoms of breast cancer to look out for.
She wrote: “With how common cancer is, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say we’ve all been affected by it one way or another. Whether that is personally or you know someone who has battled it or is suffering from it now. So I was proud of Marks and Spencer’s for including the poster in stores. Not only does it raise awareness and act as a reminder for us all to regularly check, but being in a private cubicle, in front of a mirror, is a perfect opportunity to inspect yourself.”
Charlotte said she was so impressed by the retailer’s poster that she “did some digging” into how the poster made its way into M&S stores and was even more touched by what she found. It turns out the life-changing information can be found in more than 2,000 M&S fitting rooms thanks to the work of one employee.
“After Tamworth staff member Lucy Dawson was diagnosed with cancer, she pitched the signage idea directly to M&S CEO Stuart Machin and her initiative has certainly paid off,” Charlotte explained.
“Lucy – who was 24 when she was diagnosed – came up with the scheme while going for a bra fitting after she had gone through chemotherapy treatment. She noticed there were no signs of what to look for when checking your breasts anywhere in the fitting room and thought it was an ideal location to share guidance and advice.”
M&S’ thoughtful poster was created in partnership with the company’s long-term charity partner, Breast Cancer Now. The shop’s trained bra fitters already help customers up and down the country with bra fittings, and it’s hoped that the sign will help with early detection and encourage people to inspect themselves more often.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
Breast cancer can affect men and women, although it’s more common in women. It’s the most common type of cancer in women in the UK, while the NHS states it is a “rare” type of cancer for men. In women, the most common symptoms include:
- a lump, or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit
- a change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling or redness (may be harder to see on black or brown skin)
- a change in the size or shape of 1 or both breasts
- nipple discharge (if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it
- a change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards or a rash on it
- pain in your breast or armpit which does not go away
Men may also experience many of the same symptoms, including a lump in the breast, nipple discharge, and the nipple turning inwards. They may also experience small bumps in the armpit known as swollen glands, and may see the nipple or surrounding skin become hard, red, or swollen.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with breast cancer, Breast Cancer Now is here to support you. The charity offers support for both men and women on their website, and you can also contact their breast care nurses on 0808 800 6000.
