Striking mural raises cancer awareness

Scott Wilcock, who runs Snow Graffiti, joined forces with Miss Pap where he created a mural to support its #DONTMISSYOURPAP campaign, urging women and girls not to skip cervical smear tests.

Scott, from Ashton, said: “Originally, they wanted some artwork doing on a building but they were struggling to find somewhere suitable.

“So I mentioned that I had just set up my own studio and how I could do it there.

“I think at first they just wanted the logo but I explained I could do so much more and really get the message out there.”

The mural tells a story of a young girl who unfortunately passes away, but there’s a twist in the tale.

“We wanted to be as gentle as we could with it but still portray a powerful message, but we don’t end at that we rewind all the way back showing that it doesn’t have to go that way but it’s what can happen if you don’t take your pap.

“I’ve never done anything like this before so there was a lot riding on it and I thought that there was a good chance I’d fail.

“I sent a short video of what I wanted to do and whilst they loved it, there were concerns that I would make people too sad so we had to shorten it, but I told her I had strong beliefs it would do well.”

It took over a week to complete and since posting the video of the mural on social media, Scott has received an overwhelming response.

“Its been unbelievable, I’ve had so many messages from people saying they’ve been through similar situations.

“The most common things said are that it is powerful, it’s made people cry and how its such a positive message.

“Before I finished it, I wanted advice from people in the gym and to see their reactions was priceless. The were blown away.”

The idea for the campaign came from J Jackson who has her own personal attachments to it.

J, who does PR for Miss Pap, said: “In March 2020, my identical twin sister V was diagnosed with cervical cancer and my world came crashing down.

“We’re so close, for weeks we didn’t know what stage it was, I was thinking the worst. She was eventually diagnosed with stage one and received the all-clear six months later.

“We both decided we wanted to raise more awareness so approached Miss Pap and we’re now in our third phase of the campaign reaching over 500 million people.”

Since the beginning of the year, Miss Pap has been on a mission to reduce the number of missed cervical screening tests by creating innovative underwear with 100 per cent of all sales going to the Eve appeal, the leading UK gynaecological cancer charity.

Inspired by survivors, the sets come with an innovative twist. Each set has an additional flap with popping button detailing which is key to its design providing an easier way for women to be examined.

The mural is not on public display but you can view the creation on Scott’s Snow Graffiti Facebook page Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here