Caravan tour to put people in the pink

Specialist breast care nurses will be on board for the Pink Caravan tour stopover in Whanganui later in the month.

The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation's Pink Caravan tour will stop at 32 towns this year said project manager Dianne Swann.

It will be parked outside New World in Victoria Avenue on November 17.

"We want women everywhere to know all the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, to understand their family and lifestyle risk factors, and to know what to do if they have any worries" she said.

"We're inviting women - and men - to pop into the Pink Caravan with their questions.

"The caravan will have hands-on displays of breast cancer symptoms that most women won't have seen before, and we'll use prosthetic breasts to show what a lump feels like.

Nurse Gill Mockford said she was looking forward to meeting local women and men to answer their questions in the caravan.

"We have some fantastic resources and information on board, and the message is very important - on average, more than 47 women in the Whanganui DHB region will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. The earlier they're diagnosed, the better the outcome, so we'll be advising on screening and how to look out for the full range of breast cancer symptoms."

"More than 1000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year outside the free screening age group, and even among screened women, breast cancers can appear show up between mammograms. So it's really important know all the signs of breast cancer and how to be breast aware - that's what we're here for" said Ms Swann.

She called the Pink Caravan project "a real home-grown Kiwi community story.

"We're relying on kind volunteers from the NZ Motor Caravan Association around the country to tow the caravan from town to town - it's a massive relay around the country."

The caravan will be outside New World on November 17 from 9am to 4pm.