Celia Briffa-Watt, 46, NHS Scotland’s chair of the national programme board for bowel screening, trekked in the Himalayas in India to support the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer UK, set up by the late bowel cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James.
Celia, who is from Cambuslang and works as a public health consultant with NHS Lanarkshire, said: “It was a fantastic experience, and I met some incredible people from across the UK among the 33 other participants on the five-day hike.
“There were people who are currently living with bowel cancer, those who had successfully come through the disease, and others who had sadly lost a family member to it.
“We stayed at two campsites and set off on our treks early each morning, making it back to camp the same day.
“The terrain was tough, with sheer drops at the edge of every path as we did climbs reaching up to 2,600 metres.
“The fact that vultures were circling above us was a bit unsettling, and we were followed by packs of stray dogs who came on the treks and helped us eat our lunches.
“While we carefully tackled the rough paths with all the gear and walking poles, we had to laugh when we saw an 80-year-old woman from a local village carrying her shopping and wearing flip-flops.”
Celia in the Himalayas (Image: NHS Lanarkshire)
Himalayan village (Image: NHS Lanarkshire)
While preparing by training on local hills and joining a walking club, Celia held fundraising events and raised £6000 for the Bowelbabe Fund Himalayan Trek India, organised by Charity Challenge.
She said: “It was great to do something different to put the focus on bowel cancer.
“No one could be more inspirational than Dame Deborah James, and it’s good to know that what I raised for her fund will go directly to studies into bowel cancer by Cancer Research UK.
“Bowelbabe has recently announced that they have passed the £20 million milestone to fund bowel cancer research projects and awareness campaigns.”
As the UK marks Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Celia is using the challenge to highlight the urgent need for improved screening rates, particularly in Lanarkshire, which currently has the second-lowest uptake of bowel screening in Scotland.
Celia said: “Early detection improves treatment options and outcomes for patients.
“So, it’s never been more important to do your test when it’s posted to you, or ask for a test if you didn’t do the last one.”
Celia with a bowel screening kit (Image: NHS Lanarkshire)
Bowel screening is offered every two years to men and women in Scotland aged 50 to 74.
Despite the programme’s life-saving potential, participation remains a concern, especially among certain groups.
Celia said: “We continue to see fewer men than women taking the test, and that’s a concern.
“Nationally, uptake for screening has fallen slightly, and it’s the same for Lanarkshire.
“We see big differences in uptake across different areas and are working to improve the numbers taking part.”
Celia also warned that people under the screening age should remain alert to symptoms and seek medical advice if needed.
She said: “As Deborah James’s experience shows, people who are too young for screening should also be vigilant about the symptoms of bowel cancer, which include blood in your poo, changes in your bowel habits, and tummy pain.”
More information about the Scottish bowel screening programme and how to request a replacement kit is available on the bowel screening section of the NHS Inform website.
