Andy WatsonBBC News, North East and Cumbria
BBCA fisherman who was diagnosed with cancer at a pop up quayside centre when bad weather stopped him going to sea is urging other people not to put off going for a check up.
The Fishermen’s Mission and Cancer Macmillan Support have been providing checks at the fish quay in North Shields to work around the fishing industry, which often has unsociable hours.
Colin Graham, a skipper who works out of North Shields, said getting time to go and see a doctor could be difficult so “them coming to us was great”.
“I got the screening at the quay when we were docked during bad weather and I was diagnosed with a stage four melanoma,” he said, adding the test “completely saved my life”.
The Fishermen’s Mission, which supports active and former fishermen and sea-going staff, worked with Macmillan to roll out the C-Aware scheme, which aims to increase access to cancer screenings.
Since his diagnosis in December 2024, Colin has had successful surgery and is now cancer free.
“If I didn’t get diagnosed when I did it could have spread and the result wouldn’t have been great,” he said, adding: ” I’m just happy I [caught] it and I can spread this message to other fishermen really.”
Colin has now become a Macmillan Cancer Champion, a role which supports people with cancer in their local community and calls for improved access to treatment.
The Department for Health has vowed to end the “postcode lottery” when it comes to cancer treatment nationwide.
They have pledged to hire more cancer specialists in communities with the highest number of vacancies and improve cancer detection technology.
Health Secretary Dr Zubir Ahmed MP visited North Shields fish quay to meet those receiving check ups.
“This is a fantastic and life saving scheme but we know more has to be done to improve what at times feels like patchwork cancer care,” he said.
“If you live in a coastal community, you might not have access to the same care as if you lived in a major city, that’s unacceptable,” the MP added.
Graham McDonagh, a fisherman for 40 years, said: “In our job you need to be pushed into these things as we only think about work, get out when the sun comes up and back when the sun comes in.
“Having the team down at the quay has certainly helped people here, we’re more aware of it.”
