COMMITTED community volunteers have been praised for their efforts in raising cancer awareness with a special celebration.

The hard-working locals received certificates for their dedication in a ceremony at the City of Manchester stadium.

Volunteers from Charlestown, Cheetham Hill and Harpurhey have been working with the Healthy Communities Collaborative project to make people aware of the symptoms of cancer and encourage them to get themselves checked out by a GP.

According to the NHS, one in four people in the UK will die of cancer and more than one in three will develop cancer at some stage in their lives.

The volunteers have been creative in presenting sensitive information, from hosting quizzes to even writing a play to get their message across.

Wayne Carter, from the Charlestown voluntary group, said: "I would definitely recommend doing voluntary work with the Healthy Community Collaborative. It gives me a great buzz and a feeling of happiness helping others, other than myself.

"This, I feel, is a positive action towards anyone's well being."

The longer people wait to seek medical help after developing symptoms, the more difficult their illness is to treat.

Unfortunately, public health data indicates that, compared to other European countries, people in the UK are diagnosed with cancer at a later stage; a figure that rises in disadvantaged areas of England.