Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has penned a new poem for World Cancer Day (on 4 February 2026), inspired by the experiences of people affected by cancer in Yorkshire and the vital contributions of researchers and charity supporters seeking to find and fund cures.

Commissioned by Yorkshire Cancer Research, the poem, entitled “The Campaign”, pays tribute to a century of progress in cancer prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, while highlighting the work still needed to create a future free from cancer – in Yorkshire and beyond.

The Yorkshire-born poet Simon Armitage was initially inspired by a defining moment in the charity’s history: its first public fundraising appeal 100 years ago. In January 1926, at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds, the charity’s first Honorary Secretary, Sir Harold Mackintosh, issued a rallying call across Yorkshire to “deliver the attack upon cancer, the great enemy of mankind, and become the new Saint George in the work of slaying the dragon.”

These words sparked an extraordinary wave of generosity, raising £140,000 (equivalent to more than £7 million today) for cancer research in Yorkshire and laying the foundation for a century of saving lives in the region and beyond.

Talking about how this historic moment motivated the poem, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage said: “Using metaphorical rather than scientific language, Mackintosh described cancer as the great enemy of mankind and that we must do the work of Saint George and slay the dragon. Saint George has always been a figure to rally around, not just in this country, but around the world.”

He continued: “I ran with the idea of cancer as an ‘enemy’ that must be tackled through ingenuity, decades of research and painstaking discovery. Cancer is also a dragon in the mind, demanding a certain bloody-mindedness - a true Yorkshire characteristic – to overcome this shadow and threat to our daily lives.”

100 years on since the charity’s first fundraising appeal, Simon Armitage is adding his voice to Yorkshire’s cancer mission, acknowledging the life-saving breakthroughs already made possible by people in Yorkshire, while looking ahead to the challenges that remain in “slaying the dragon” of cancer.

The poem was shared for the first time at the University of Leeds, where Simon is Professor of Poetry and where Yorkshire Cancer Research has funded pioneering cancer breakthroughs for a century.

Simon said: “The poem highlights the tenacity and resilience of researchers and supporters who have driven pioneering treatments and breakthroughs over many decades. I wanted to convey a shared determination to keep moving forward while confronting the fact that Yorkshire is disproportionally impacted by cancer.

I was born in a small village called Marsden in West Yorkshire. If you broke me in half, you’d see a white rose all the way through.”

Every 17 minutes, someone in Yorkshire is told they have cancer. Before writing the poem, Simon Armitage visited the Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre in Harrogate to hear from 17 voices from across Yorkshire - researchers pioneering new discoveries, fundraisers dedicated to saving lives, families who have sadly lost loved ones, and those living with cancer. Discover the voices of the 17 people who helped inspire his poem here: 17 minutes, 17 voices - Yorkshire Cancer Research [https://www.yorkshirecancerresearch.org.uk/the-campaign-simon-armitage/17-minutes-17-voices]

One of the voices who inspired the poem is 56-year-old Sara Williamson from Wakefield, who has been living with breast cancer since 2015, when she was told she had a 20% chance of survival. Sara’s initial chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment were put on hold after she unfortunately experienced heart failure twice. She then joined a cancer rehabilitation programme funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research which ran free exercise sessions for people with cancer.

Sara said: “I firmly believe I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for the exercise treatment and how it improved my physical and mental health. My cancer treatment caused me to completely lose the ability to move; I couldn’t even dress or feed myself. The programme really helped me get myself moving and walking again.”

Sara is now a champion of Active Together, the pioneering research-backed cancer exercise treatment service funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and designed by Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre to help people prepare for and recover from their cancer treatment. Inspired by how she benefitted from exercise, Sara created an activity focused support group providing fitness and wellbeing sessions to people living with breast cancer in Wakefield.

Sara has hosted countless fundraisers for life-saving cancer research in Yorkshire, one of thousands of supporters across the region who have united against cancer, or as referenced in the poem, “stood shoulder to shoulder, held hands, linked arms”.

Sara said: “Every day is truly a gift to me, and I do everything I can to help others facing the same situation. If you give out, you get back.”

Reflecting on the meeting with Simon Armitage, Sara said: “It was a meeting of minds. Everyone in the room welcomed each other with open arms, including Simon Armitage, and that reflects the charity’s own values. When you’re faced with your own morality, everything changes in terms of what’s important. Yorkshire Cancer Research not only saves lives through research, but ensures our voices are heard. It was an honour and a privilege to be with the Poet Laureate, and I know his words are going to inspire people locally and nationally.”

Reflecting on his experience meeting people affected by cancer across Yorkshire, Simon said: “It was saddening to hear experiences of illness and bereavement, including children whose parents were ill, parents who had lost children and people affected by different types of the disease. I felt very moved by their experiences.

“It was also a privilege to listen to testimonies of determination, resilience and hope, and to learn about how Yorkshire Cancer Research has given people a positive focus in their lives, especially through forming friendships and bonds with others in the same situation. There was also humour in the room, dark and ironic humour at times, but humour nonetheless, and accounts of recoveries and good health that had followed illness. To put it in poetic terms, it was inspiring, moving and informative. I learned a great deal.”

As Yorkshire’s cancer charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research funds £75 million of pioneering research and services, including 26 clinical trials, to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire. These life-giving medical breakthroughs are helping more people survive cancer - in Yorkshire, and beyond.

Simon said: “Yorkshire Cancer Research might be regionally based but it punches well above its weight. It has contributed huge breakthroughs in cancer treatment and research, both nationally and internationally. Yorkshire is a huge county and has a large number of people who are diagnosed with cancer every year, and it’s inspiring to see the charity’s commitment to change that.

“For over a century, the charity has worked tirelessly to improve the health of people across Yorkshire and in doing so, has contributed to progress that benefits lives far beyond the region. Yet there is still much to do, with Yorkshire facing significant inequalities in cancer outcomes. None of this progress can happen without funding.”

Dr Kathryn Scott, Chief Executive at Yorkshire Cancer Research said: “It was a privilege to welcome Poet Laureate Simon Armitage to the Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre and introduce him to some of the people driving and inspiring vital progress in cancer research in our region and beyond. Simon’s words capture the spirit of Yorkshire – its resilience, generosity and determination – and gives voice to a century of breakthroughs driven by people in our region, whose efforts have saved countless lives around the world.

As we look to the future, the poem serves as a powerful reminder of why the charity began this mission and why we must keep moving forward to bring more cancer cures to Yorkshire. By working closely with cancer experts and communities across the region, the charity can build a future where fewer lives are lost to cancer, and more people can share precious moments with their loved ones. Together, we will continue to make great progress toward a Yorkshire free from cancer.”

Discover Poet Laureate Simon Armitage’s “The Campaign” and find out more about the voices who inspired the poem: www.ycr.org.uk/TheCampaign

ENDS

Contact: Maddie Grounds, PR and Communications Manager, Yorkshire Cancer Research. Tel: 07903461185

Email: maddie.grounds@ycr.org.uk

About Yorkshire Cancer Research

• Yorkshire Cancer Research has been funding cancer research and saving lives for 100 years.

• Since its foundation in 1925, the charity has united with researchers, cancer experts and people in Yorkshire to bring life-saving breakthroughs, discoveries and progress in cancer research to the region.

• Sadly, people in Yorkshire are more likely to have their lives cut short by cancer than almost anywhere else in England. As Yorkshire's cancer charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research is dedicated to changing this.

• Yorkshire Cancer Research works in partnership with researchers, clinicians, the NHS, public health bodies and other charities to pioneer new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire.

• For more information, please visit YorkshireCancerResearch.org.uk or, follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn or Instagram.

• For any media enquiries, please contact press@ycr.org.uk

Logo

Images

Tags

More Like This

People in Yorkshire urged to send a white rose to London for a cancer-free future

Yorkshire Cancer Research statement on the Government’s National Cancer Plan: A major opportunity to end regional inequalities

White Rose Ride: Tanfield Brothers Back Campaign to Tackle Yorkshire Cancer Inequalities

Gypsy, Traveller and Roma cancer study aims to address “long history of neglect”

Leading UK oncology voices unite to launch pathway to a future where zero people die from cancer

Inequalities in ovarian cancer treatment revealed in new study

Prostate cancer survivor to cycle 275 miles non-stop on his 65th birthday

New life-giving clinical trials to be offered to people with most common type of brain cancer