Giant Inflatable Bowel Springs Up to Tackle Cancer Taboos

In an audacious attempt to spur conversations about bowel cancer, the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance (HNYCA) has unveiled a colossal inflatable model of a bowel. Towering at over 2m tall and stretching 3.5m long, this gutsy exhibit, part of the Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April, is set to tour shopping centres and community hubs across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. ‘Any passer-by who catches sight of our giant bowel will be itching to find out more,’ says Mark Hughes, clinical director at Humber and Yorkshire Coast Bowel Cancer Screening Centre. Bowel cancer, the UK’s third most prevalent cancer and second biggest killer, claims over 16,800 lives annually. However, increased awareness and screening have seen the mortality rate steadily fall over the past few decades. While the disease predominantly affects those over 50, each year sees over 2,600 new diagnoses in individuals under 50.