“A lonely journey”: NI UUP Councillor Kyle Savage speaks out on cancer and rural health inequalities

UUP Councillor Kyle Savage (Lagan River)

Councillor Kyle Savage has praised Macmillan Cancer Support’s Move More scheme, which encourages physical activity for people living with cancer — and movingly revealed that he has personal experience of being diagnosed with the condition.

The Lagan River representative made his comments during Monday’s (8 September) Community & Wellbeing Committee meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council.

ABC Council has partnered with Macmillan since 2016 to deliver the programme, which supports people with cancer to remain active.

To date, 185 individuals have taken part, with feedback indicating that all participants reported a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

Councillor Kyle Savage also expressed his gratitude to ABC Council sports development officer Gillian Dewart and her team for their commitment to the initiative.

The Ulster Unionist councillor said:

“I want to [praise] the Macmillan Move More programme that has been done here within council. Speaking as somebody who has had cancer myself, I know how important it is for that support and the wellbeing in that.

“I want to thank Gillian and all her team, because I’ve seen first-hand last year exactly what they’ve done. There’s very few programmes that we do here where there’s 100 per cent [positive] feedback. The feedback is that it has made a big difference to their lives.

“That cancer journey can be a very lonely place, and whatever help and support that we can give as a council here, then we should be doing it.

“There’s a figure that has been bandied about. If you’re from the rural community, you’re 5 per cent less likely to survive a cancer diagnosis than your urban counterparts.

“I think, going forward, we need to be trying to get more into that rural community. Men, especially, do need to come out and get checked out and tested, as and when needs be.

“I was speaking at a cancer group last Tuesday night in Waringstown. I said it there and I say it everywhere. You know your body better than any GP or any consultant in this country, and if you do not feel you’re 100 per cent, go and get checked out, and don’t be fobbed off.”