I'm pleased to add my support to this motion today, and hope that this debate will play some small part in the important task of raising awareness on the issues around bowel cancer—particularly awareness of the symptoms, and the vital importance of taking up screening, as so many others have already mentioned. 

When I first started looking at this issue I was particularly struck by the figures on the incidence of bowel cancer in many of the Valleys communities, including in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. For example, Bowel Cancer UK report that those living in the Cwm Taf health board area have a significantly greater chance of being diagnosed with bowel cancer than those in the neighbouring Cardiff and Vale health board area. Similar variations in pattern also show at local authority level.

So this is clearly a health issue that's of significant importance in my constituency, and I therefore wanted to take this opportunity to mention Chris Daniel from Merthyr, who set out his story on the Bowel Cancer UK website. Chris is currently undertaking a virtual cycle ride of 18,000 miles around the world in memory of his wife Rita. I believe that today is day 167 of his ride, and Chris has just passed through the Canadian Rockies. In reality, Chris has actually been cycling inside Companies House, as he moves his fundraising effort around locations, but remarkably, through technology, his virtual ride includes simulations of all the terrain conditions, including all the climbs on his journey as well, and his daily videos suggest that the Rockies has been the toughest section of his ride so far. But, in the process, Chris is raising money for Bowel Cancer UK, Velindre Cancer Centre, and Cancer Research Wales—an amazing response to the personal tragedy that Chris has had to deal with. So, I'd just like to take the chance in this debate to thank you, Chris, for your efforts in this regard.

Because this is such an important issue, and due to the stories being told by people like Chris, I'm joining my colleagues Vikki Howells and Lynne Neagle this Friday, 18 May, in a day of joint campaigning with Bowel Cancer UK across our Valleys constituencies in order to help raise awareness, in an attempt to help beat bowel cancer. Our aim is to support the Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer charities in raising the profile of the symptoms of bowel cancer, as too many people either don't know or just ignore the symptoms. It's a new venture for us, in which we're joining forces to host events to help the charity deliver their vital messages. It's not party political campaigning, but it is using our positions as AMs to host events and to help promote the public health messages. During the day, we will be holding events in Aberdare, in Rhymney, and in Cwmbran, and you're all welcome to join us. You can get details from my office if you're interested. It's also good to see that Lowri Griffiths from Bowel Cancer UK is talking to the Martyrs business network at Merthyr Town Football Club tomorrow morning, because employers also have an important role in helping to spread awareness of this issue to their employees. 

So, as Hefin said earlier on, let's break some of the taboos around it and let's talk about the symptoms. Let's not dress it up in polite language: we're talking about bleeding from your bottom, we're talking about blood in your poo, we're talking about a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit. For me, there is an important message for everyone: don't be shy, let's talk poo, literally, and let's make sure that people take action to check for the symptoms of bowel cancer. Then, as a result, we might get more people recognising the vital importance of screening, because screening is straightforward, as we've already heard. As Hefin's already waved it around, I'll wave it around as well—the kits that are readily available. Screening kits are readily available and are automatically sent to everyone over the age of 60 every two years up to the age of 74. And of course we've heard calls as well for lowering the starting age for screening.

So, let's all play our part in raising the knowledge of the symptoms and encouraging people to take up screening. Let's hope that we can play our part in preventing more people like Chris's wife Rita, Sam Gould, Steffan Lewis, and their families, from having to go through the trials and tribulations of diagnosis, of treatment, and in some cases finality. I sincerely hope that Steffan continues to challenge his condition, because we're all with you—I'm rooting for you, comrade.