MEDIA ARE INVITED TO ATTEND [LANDMARK NAME] LIGHTING UP AT [TIME] ON
NOVEMBER 1ST [only add this line if there is an event happening which presents an
opportunity for a photo call/interview]
Media release
For immediate release
(INSERT NAME OF LANDMARK) WILL LIGHT UP PURPLE TO START PANCREATIC
CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
One of [insert town/ city/ area]’s most iconic landmarks will be illuminated in purple light on
November 1st, to mark the start of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
The [insert venue] will be lit up, thanks to local resident [insert your name], as part of
Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Purple Lights for Hope awareness campaign. The campaign is
intended to bring people together across the UK and unite them in their commitment to raise
awareness of pancreatic cancer.
Purple Lights for Hope presents an opportunity to celebrate the lives of loved ones dealing
with a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and to remember those who have sadly died of the
disease, whilst also spreading a message of hope. It has captured the imagination of
patients, families, health professionals and campaigners since its launch last year when 60
landmarks and buildings lit up in the UK, including the Trafalgar Square fountains in London,
the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, the Brighton Wheel and the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth.
Anyone can take part in Purple Lights for Hope, by organising for a local landmark to be lit
up purple, or by hosting their own event in their back garden or local park with purple glow
sticks and fairy lights.
[Insert name] said: “We are taking part in Pancreatic Cancer UK’s Purple Lights for Hope
campaign because [insert your own reasons for being involved]. By lighting up [insert name
of venue] in purple we are helping to put a spotlight on pancreatic cancer and to highlight a
disease that many people still know so very little about. We would like to thank [insert
relevant name / organisation/ local council] for agreeing to light up on 1st November. [insert a
sentence here about a meeting point and time if you want people to join you on the
evening].”
Only around four per cent of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive five years or
more. This figure has hardly changed in 40 years. It is the fifth most common cause of all
cancer deaths in the UK and it is predicted that by 2030 pancreatic cancer will overtake
breast cancer as the fourth most common cancer killer.
Alex Ford, Chief Executive of Pancreatic Cancer UK said: “Purple Lights for Hope presents a
fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer. One person is diagnosed with
the disease in the UK every hour, and the disease has the lowest survival rate of all the 21
common cancers, so it really is crucial that we all find out more about it.
“On behalf of everyone at Pancreatic Cancer UK I would like to say a huge thank you to
[insert your name] for helping us to spread the word about pancreatic cancer, as well as a
vital message of hope to everyone affected by the disease.”
To order free Purple Lights for Hope glow sticks, and find out which other venues and
landmarks will be lit up purple, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/purplelights. Pancreatic
Cancer UK is delighted to have the support of Festive Lights, which is donating 10 per cent
of each sale of indoor and outdoor purple fairy lights to Pancreatic Cancer UK during
October and November.
Throughout the campaign, supporters will be uploading photos and updates from across the
UK on Pancreatic Cancer UK’s social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter (using the
hashtag #purplelights).
ENDS
For further information, photos, or to arrange interviews, contact: [insert your contact details]
For further information about the disease or Pancreatic Cancer UK, please contact Emma
Fielder, Media Manager on 020 3780 7762 or email [email protected]
About pancreatic cancer:
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One person dies of pancreatic cancer every hour.
The disease has the lowest survival rate of all the 21 common cancers, with just four
per cent of people living for five years or more after diagnosis, and just one per cent
surviving 10 years
Five and ten year survival for pancreatic cancer has improved very little since the
early 1970s.
Around 8,800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer per year in the UK. That’s
24 people every day.
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death in the UK
Pancreatic cancer is predicted to become the fourth largest cancer killer (overtaking
breast cancer) by 2030.
Pancreatic cancer statistics quoted are from Cancer Research UK.
About Pancreatic Cancer UK:
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Pancreatic Cancer UK is the only national charity fighting pancreatic cancer on all
fronts: support, information, campaigning and research. We are striving for a long
and good life for everyone diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
For further information on pancreatic cancer, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk.
To speak to a specialist nurse about symptoms, diagnosis or treatment, call
Pancreatic Cancer UK’s freephone Support Line on 0808 801 0707.
We provide an expert, personalised support and information service, with the ultimate
aim of enabling patients to enjoy an extended, happy and fulfilled life, bringing hope
to them and their families.
We fund innovative research that makes the most impact with limited resources and
leverages additional investment - and development of new talent - through our own
research expenditure.
Working closely with patients and their families and carers, clinicians and other
healthcare professionals, researchers, politicians and policy makers we seek to
increase awareness of the disease and campaign to bring about change.