CANCER advice and valuable information came on wheels as the Macmillan bus rolled into town yesterday.

A team from the charity parked in Wharf Green to offer reassurance, guidance and answer residents’ questions about the state of their or a relative’s health as part of its information roadshow programme.

The service was launched by Macmillan Cancer Support to allow residents, often too busy to book an appointment with a doctor or too overwhelmed to seek out practical help to drop in for advice in their lunch hour or whenever they have a spare moment.

“We are there to make sure that if people have any kind of questions about cancer they get answers,” said Michelle Smith, cancer information support specialist. “Whether it is about side effects, symptoms, treatment or even information about emotional support, we can signpost people to local services like the CAB or hospice. It’s about making people aware of what is available locally.”

Leaflets about all types of conditions from skin to bowel cancer were also handed to visitors.

“One of our aims is to target harder to reach groups like teenagers,” added Michelle. “Over 80 per cent of all our visitors don’t plan to come. They see the bus and drop in. People with signs of undiagnosed cancer will pop in in their lunch hour and we see whether their symptoms are worth worrying about.

“It’s important for us to be available for them.”