Help fight breast cancer with wonderfood Watercress
Following the University of Southampton's findings that watercress can help suppress cancer, Sainsbury’s and watercress suppliers Vitacress have teamed up with breast cancer charity The Haven in a special promotion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Shoppers can buy a bag of watercress and be confident it will benefit themselves and the charity.
Following the University of Southampton's findings that watercress can help suppress cancer, Sainsbury’s and watercress suppliers Vitacress have teamed up with breast cancer charity The Haven in a special promotion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. Shoppers can buy a bag of watercress and be confident it will benefit themselves and the charity.
The Haven is the fourth biggest national breast cancer charity and is the only one that provides nutritional advice, therapies and a network of support centres for people affected by breast cancer.
From 21st September, Sainsbury’s will promote special packs of watercress from one of its suppliers, Vitacress Salads, which will donate 5p per pack to The Haven. When they ran this promotion last year more than 403,000 packs were sold, raising £20,160.
It follows recent research by the University of Southampton, which revealed a plant compound in watercress could suppress breast cancer cell development. As tumours develop they send out signals to surrounding tissue to grow new blood vessels to feed them. Watercress can block the signal and so starve the tumour of the blood and oxygen it needs to grow.
People are changing their diets in response. Since the Southampton research sales of watercress have gone up 10%. The rise has been sustained, meaning watercress now significantly outperforms the other bagged salads Vitacress produce.
“We were delighted with the response to our watercress promotion to raise money for such a good cause last year so were keen to get involved with Breast Cancer Awareness Month again this year. We chose to support The Haven because they take a holistic approach to breast cancer care, helping people improve their diet and so boost their natural defences to fight this disease,” said Huw Griffiths, Marketing Director of Vitacress Salads.
The Haven provides, completely free of charge, a wide range of therapies which help people to deal with the physical and emotional side effects of breast cancer. Specialist nurses and experts in nutrition, exercise and emotional support provide tailor-made programmes for each person that comes through its doors.
The charity has helped over 6,000 people cope with the devastating side-effects of breast cancer and its treatment and provided nearly 100,000 appointments over 11 years. The Haven works alongside the NHS, to ensure an integrated approach to breast cancer care. Half of visitors are referred by their GP or breast cancer nurse though no referral is necessary.
Toral Shah visited The Haven after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She said: “I didn’t expect to be diagnosed with cancer at such a young age. The Haven made a huge difference as the Younger Women’s support group meant that I made friends with girls going through the same thing. The wide range of treatments helped me to relax and heal faster so I could resume normal life as soon as possible.
“As a nutritionist and cook I have always believed exercise and nutrition are the key to a healthy body and recovery and think that this research demonstrates this. Watercress is so versatile and underused. I hope this research will boost consumption.”
Watercress is grown all year round but September is the height of the season. The best locations are where there is an abundance of spring water such as on the Hampshire Downs, Wiltshire or Dorset.
Further information
If you would like more information about The Haven, high resolution photographs of Toral Shah, delicious recipes, watercress samples or case studies, please contact Eleanor Treharne-Jones at Optimise PR on 07808 795432 or eleanor@optimise-pr.com
Notes to editors
- The Haven provides, completely free of charge, a wide range of therapies which help people deal with the physical and emotional side effects of breast cancer. Specialist nurses and experts in nutrition, exercise and emotional support provide tailor-made programmes for each Visitor. No referral is necessary.
- The Haven programme provides a unique model of care that is fully integrated with hospital medical treatment. It is a global leader in its field and cancer specialists from all over the world visit Havens and learn from them.
- Help is also available through the website – www.thehaven.org.uk ; an outreach programme, including many of the support centres’ elements, is available to anyone who can’t get to one of the Havens.
- The Haven does not receive any government funding so is entirely dependent on charitable donations and fundraising events to raise funds. It costs around £1000 to provide the Haven programme for each Visitor and the care and support make a huge difference to their lives at a difficult time.
- There are three Havens in the UK:
The Haven, Effie Road, London SW6 1TB.
T 020 7384 0099, F 020 7 384 0001
The Haven, 37 St Owen Street, Hereford HR1 2JB.
T 01432 361 061, F 01432 361062
The Haven, 4-5 The Gateway West, Leeds LS9 8DA.
T 0113 284 7829
07712 436363
sara@optimise-pr.com
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