Left to right: Zoe from team WtW, Walk the Walk CEO David Wright, Woking MP Will Forster, Jo from team WtW
To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve taken our campaign to lower the starting age for breast screening directly to MPs in Parliament!
This week, we met MPs from all parties at a special drop-in event in Westminster, to explain why the starting age for NHS breast screening should be lowered from 50 to 40.
New figures released recently have reinforced our case:-
- Analysis by the World Cancer Research Fund (Oct 2026) shows that 8,507 women under 50 were diagnosed with breast cancer in England in 2023, up from 6,886 in 2001
- A Walk the Walk survey (Sept 2026) found that 90% of respondents backed lowering the screening age from 50 to 40, and 85% do not feel confident checking their breasts or chest.
David with Clive Jones MP
We also used the drop-in event to highlight to MPs our recent appointment of chemotherapy nurse Gemma Reeves as its new Clinical Ambassador. Earlier this year, Gemma’s petition to lower the screening age to 40 gained more than 106,000 signatures, leading to a Westminster Hall debate and cross-party support.
Left to right: Jen and Zoe from team Walk the Walk outside Westminster
Yesterday’s event comes ahead of the first findings from the AgeX trial, which are due in December 2026. The trial is looking at the impact of extending screening to younger and older age groups.
Walk the Walk is urging MPs and Ministers not to wait for the first the AgeX results before taking further action, but to have a plan in place to act on the results immediately.
We also want to make sure people over 71 are clearly told they can still access screening on request.
Will Forster, MP for Woking, where Walk the Walk is based, kindly hosted the drop-in for us. He said:
“Walk the Walk has an outstanding record of supporting vital cancer care and research and I was delighted to host them in Parliament for an event marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It provided a valuable opportunity for parliamentarians to hear more about the charity’s work and its efforts to promote health and fitness as part of reducing cancer risk, as well as their campaign to lower the starting age for breast screening to 40.
“It is vital that charities have opportunities to engage directly with policymakers. Bringing together organisations delivering vital services on the ground with MPs and Peers helps ensure that decision-makers understand the challenges charities face and the support they need.
“I think Walk the Walk may even have persuaded a few MPs to sign up for next year’s iconic overnight MoonWalk London! I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a rewarding challenge, while supporting a fantastic cause.”
David speaking with Mohammad Yasin MP
David Wright, CEO of Walk the Walk, said:
“It was a privilege to hear from MPs from across the political spectrum, and I’m grateful to Walk the Walk’s local MP Will Forster for hosting us. The main message from the room is that people want to see change. In terms of lowering the age for breast screening, 23 women a day are being diagnosed with breast cancer in their 40s, and many people don’t feel confident checking themselves. The government must act now, and we stand ready to help make change happen, which will save lives.
“I was particularly encouraged by the level of engagement and genuine interest shown by MPs, irrespective of their political affiliations or motivations. Cancer is not political, and neither is the solution. The cross-party commitment demonstrated by MPs was a testament to this shared understanding. As we all agreed, opposing political parties must not be viewed as competitors in this fight; our real competition is cancer itself. I hope to build on the positive momentum with many of the MPs who attended, through Walk and Talks in their constituencies, and at The MoonWalk 2027”
Thank you so much to all of our supporters who encouraged their local MPs to attend our drop-in event. Your support means so much and we couldn’t do this without you. Watch this space!