Breast Cancer Now’s Wear It Pink Day 2026

I am honoured to speak in support of, and to recognise, Breast Cancer Now’s wear it pink campaign, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. I welcome Breast Cancer Now staff and researchers to the public gallery, and I especially welcome the many women living with breast cancer or secondary breast cancer who have joined us and shared their stories—and, more importantly, their asks of the Government—today.

For 25 years, the wear it pink campaign has brought people together across Scotland and the United Kingdom to raise money, raise awareness and show support for everyone who is affected by breast cancer. Since the campaign began in 2001, it has raised more than £45 million for research and support. That is an incredible achievement. However, wear it pink is about more than wearing pink for one day of the year. It is about showing people who are affected by cancer that they are not alone; about supporting families, friends and loved ones; and about helping to build a future where everyone who is diagnosed with breast cancer can live, and live well.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer affecting women in Scotland, with around 5,300 women and 40 men diagnosed every year—that is around 102 people every single week. The number of people living with, or beyond, breast cancer is expected to increase from around 81,000 in 2025 to 118,000 by 2045. Those figures remind us just how many people across Scotland are affected by the disease and that, although we have made huge progress in treatment and survival, there is always more that we can do.

One area that deserves particular attention is metastatic breast cancer, where the cancer spreads to another part of the body. Around 975 people die from breast cancer in Scotland each year, and metastatic breast cancer is responsible for most breast cancer deaths. For people who are living with metastatic breast cancer, treatment can help to control the disease, slow its progress and support a good quality of life. That is why we have to make sure that people have access to the right treatment and support at the right time, and one of the ways that we can do that is through gathering better information.

At present, metastatic breast cancer is not consistently recorded across Scotland. We do not have a complete picture of how many people are living with the disease, nor where they are, how their cancer developed or what treatments they are receiving. That makes it much harder to plan the services and support that people will need in the future. Data collection would help us to understand where the pressures are; to plan our cancer services and workforce; and to make sure that people have access to the support that they need.

The “Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026” committed to improving how we collect that information, focusing initially on metastatic breast cancer, and that commitment now needs to become a reality. The next cancer action plan should set out a clear path for data collection and the funding and resources that will be needed to deliver it. That is not about statistics—it is about understanding the experiences of people who are living with breast cancer and making sure that our services are designed around their needs.

We have seen exciting developments in the treatments that are available to people. Earlier this month, the Scottish Medicines Consortium recommended two new treatments for some people with incurable metastatic breast cancer. That is very welcome news and could benefit hundreds of people. However, we need to make sure that people can access those treatments. Some of the new medicines require a test to identify whether they are suitable for a particular patient at that time, but those tests are not routinely available through NHS Scotland. If a treatment has been recommended, patients should not have to wait for months because the test that is needed to access it is not available. We need an interim solution to make sure people can access those tests now, alongside a long-term plan to ensure that Scotland has the testing capacity that is needed as new treatments—thankfully—become available. That is what precision medicine can be all about: the right treatment reaching the right person at the right time.

Breast Cancer Now continues to fund vital research across Scotland. It has supported 88 research projects here, worth around £17.7 million, including research at the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh looking at areas such as triple-negative breast cancer, preventing the spread of cancer and predicting how it may progress.

Every person who takes part in the wear it pink campaign and supports research into breast cancer is probably inspired by a loved one: someone they know who has suffered from the disease. We have our own very special colleague, Christina McKelvie, to inspire us. Christina was never afraid to make her voice heard. I still remember her standing in the chamber on international women’s day in 2017, wearing her pussy hat and proudly declaring her solidarity with women around the world. It was classic Christina: passionate, determined and never afraid to make a statement, nor to break the rules—but you will be pleased to know, Presiding Officer, that I will not be breaking that rule this evening.

Our great friend and Christina’s former office manager, Martha, crocheted some pussy hats, and I was one of those who were very pleased to wear one; I wore it at the photo shoot today. Christina’s legacy has carried on. I am sure that we will hear more about the Christina McKelvie celebration ball and the fundraising that has gone on, and about our own Parliament barista, Kirsty Rafferty, who is taking part in the Supernova Forth road bridge challenge.

My other inspiration in this area is my big sister, Eileen. Along with her friend Lorraine Trenfield, she took part in a brave the shave challenge this year to raise money for cancer research, following my sister’s own experience of breast cancer diagnosis, which followed her experience of suffering for most of her adult life with multiple sclerosis.

What we see in all this is that people are not alone—we stand with them as they are struggling with this disease. I am sure that when we come together, we can make the lives of people in Scotland better. [Applause.]

17:43

I am very grateful to Clare Adamson for lodging the motion to bring the debate to the chamber, and in particular for the very generous words that it contains about Christina. I suspect that members will understand that the debate is a very personal one for me, as it is for Clare Adamson, but it is also personal for Jack McKelvie, Christina McKelvie’s son, who is in the gallery today, as it will be for her other son Lewis, who is not here; for Dionne, who is here; and for Alex Kerr, who worked for Christina.

I think that all of us who knew Christina would know exactly where she would be today, if she were still here. She would be down at the front, wearing a lot of pink, smiling at everybody regardless of party, encouraging and applauding them and, afterwards, giving them a hug or, if they were lucky, a kiss. That is just the way that she was.

The wear it pink campaign was something that Christina cared deeply about. She supported the campaign in the Parliament for many years, long before breast cancer became a part of her own life. That was typical of Christina, as was the way that she undertook to drag a succession of First Ministers and cabinet secretaries down to wear ridiculous costumes when they otherwise would not have done so. In the same way, Christina managed to get a lot of cabinet secretaries, who I am sure felt quite uncomfortable, to attend a Pride rally, because she had insisted that they go. That is just how she was. She did not need something to affect her personally before she cared about it. If she saw an injustice or people who needed a voice, or a cause that could make people’s lives better, she threw herself into it.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, that commitment became even stronger. She used her own experience to encourage women to check themselves and attend screening appointments. In fact, she was instrumental in the campaign to bring down the automatic screening age to 50 and, when she contracted secondary breast cancer, to try to bring it down further, because she realised that, even with the age at 50, someone could still be 52 or 53 before they had their first check. Christina, like many women, found that she had breast cancer from that very first check.

Crucially, she encouraged women to speak about secondary breast cancer and highlighted the need—as we heard about from Clare Adamson—for better data, treatment and support. We really should have better data on this—it was clear to me during Christina’s treatment that we do not have that. I would also like to see data collected that details when sepsis, rather than breast cancer itself, is the cause of death; I think that there is a big story to be told there. We can improve the treatment only if we are aware of all the circumstances of people who have breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Now has said that

“Christina supported … wear it pink in the Scottish Parliament for more than a decade”

and described her as

“a strong advocate for women regularly checking their breasts and attending … screening appointments”.

I know how much that work meant to her, but I also know, from our own experience, what lies behind some of the statistics that we talk about in debates such as this. We can talk about thousands of people being diagnosed with breast cancer in Scotland each year, and about research, treatments, screening and survival rates. All those things are enormously important, of course, but behind every one of those stats is a person, and around that person there are partners, parents, friends and colleagues whose lives are also changed by breast cancer.

For our family, secondary breast cancer stopped being something that happened to other people. I welcome in particular the reference in the motion to secondary breast cancer, not least for the reasons that I have mentioned. There is currently no cure for secondary breast cancer—that is a stark fact. It is why research matters so much, and why access to new treatments matters. I remember that Christina managed to access the Enhertu drug, which was available in Scotland; it has only just become available in England. There were hopes that went with that, which of course went unrealised for Christina, but those new developments give hope to many women who contract breast cancer. We also need to understand much better the number of people who are living with secondary breast cancer and the care and support that they need.

Earlier this year, Christina’s family—Jack and others—and friends came together to organise the Christina McKelvie celebration ball. I am sure that Jack will not mind me saying that, while he and I were the emotional support group, all the work was done by women who knew Christina, and there was a huge amount of work involved. We wanted it to be a celebration of Christina rather than simply a memorial, because anyone who knew Christina will know that she would have had very little interest in an evening of people sitting around being sombre. We tried to make it an evening that reflected her warm, noisy, colourful and inclusive—and above all, fun—personality, and I think that we managed that. We also raised around £26,000 for two organisations that meant a great deal to Christina: Breast Cancer Now and the Maggie’s charity. On Monday, the family and I were at the Maggie’s centre in Glasgow, where we presented cheques to those two charities. I thank everyone who helped to organise that evening, everyone who attended and everyone who donated.

Perhaps more importantly, however, I want us to continue the work that Christina cared about. The wear it pink campaign is fun, and Christina certainly enjoyed persuading some fairly reluctant politicians to cover themselves in pink every year, but there is a very serious purpose behind it. Since 2002, as we heard from Clare Adamson, the campaign has raised more than £45 million for breast cancer research and support. That money helps to fund the research that can lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments and, ultimately, to longer lives.

I have spoken recently in the chamber about some of my fears around artificial intelligence, but I also have hopes for AI, and I think that breast cancer could be one of the areas in which AI could lead to some leaps forward in saving people’s lives.

Breast Cancer Now also helps to ensure that people who are going through breast cancer do not have to face it alone. I would obviously give anything that I could for Christina still to be here, but I know exactly what she would want us to do. She would want us to keep talking about breast cancer, and she would want women to check themselves and attend their screening appointments. She would want us to fight for better treatment and support for people who are living with secondary breast cancer, and she would absolutely want people in the Parliament to continue wearing pink, raising money and making a bit of noise about the issue.

I hope that, on 23 October, people across Scotland will wear it pink—I certainly will, and I will do so remembering Christina, not simply because breast cancer took her from us, but because of the enormous energy, compassion and determination that she brought to try to make things better for everyone who came after. That is a legacy worth fighting for. [Applause.]

17:50

I thank Clare Adamson for bringing this motion to the chamber, and Frances Logan from the wear it pink campaign for organising the event today, which allowed me the pleasure of speaking to folk who have been affected by breast cancer. I also put on record that Dionne Hossack, who was mentioned by Keith Brown and was the chair of the committee that hosted the event earlier this week, is also going to be running the London marathon for Breast Cancer Now—she is a braver person than me—and I urge members to donate to her.

Pink, glam, sparkles, glitz and glamour, kindness, fearlessness, loving, hugs—if you asked anyone who knew the late Christina McKelvie, those are exactly the kind of words that they would use to describe her. Christina was a dedicated public servant, an MSP, a friend, a mentor to me, and someone who had an extraordinary ability to make people feel welcomed, valued and cared for. There is so much to talk about regarding my former boss from her career of almost two decades of public service, but there is not enough time for that now, so I want to remember one particular part of Christina’s legacy—one that was very close to her heart.

Every year, Christina was the champion and sponsor of Breast Cancer Now’s wear it pink event in the Scottish Parliament. Christina championed that long before her own diagnosis, as Keith Brown has pointed out. She would bring together MSPs from across the chamber and encourage them to put aside their usual colours and instead embrace something much pinker. As the years went on, we saw pink hats, pink scarves, pink glasses and pink tennis rackets. I had on some of those fashionable accessories earlier today—members will be disappointed to hear that I will not be incorporating the pink furry hat into my regular outfits in Parliament.

Christina knew that the laughter and joy that the event inspired was the perfect engine to achieve a larger goal. It was about awareness, promoting research and treatments, and supporting people living with breast cancer and their families. Ultimately, it was about saving lives. I was happy to see so many people across the Parliament—MSPs, staff and others—decked out in pink today and to meet those affected by breast cancer in the Parliament made me happy, as I could see that Christina’s legacy continues to live on.

We know that breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in Scotland. Around 5,310 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in Scotland each year. For too many people, a breast cancer diagnosis does not end with treatment. Metastatic breast cancer, also known as secondary breast cancer, is breast cancer that spreads to another part of the body. It can occur months or years after an initial diagnosis. For some people, it is diagnosed at the same time as their primary cancer or even before that cancer is discovered. It is currently incurable, although it can be treated. Treatment aims to control and slow the progression of the disease, in order to give the person the best possible quality of life. That matters because, as has been touched on by other speakers, behind every statistic is a person—a mother, a daughter, a sister, a partner, a friend, a colleague—who has plans for the future and wants more time to make memories with the people they love.

The impact reaches far beyond the person who receives the diagnosis. It changes the lives of families, friends and loved ones too. Yet there remains a significant gap in what we know. Indeed, that relates to one of the key asks of those I spoke to today. Data on secondary breast cancer is not yet routinely and consistently collected across Scotland. The Scottish cancer registry estimates that 4,200 people were recorded as living with secondary breast cancer in Scotland at the end of 2023, but Breast Cancer Now makes it clear that that figure does not capture everyone living with the condition, particularly people whose cancers spread or returned following an earlier diagnosis. If we do not know the full scale of the problem, how can we make sure that the right support, services and resources are there for everyone who needs them? Improving the collection of data is not simply about numbers. It is about ensuring that people, including those living with the condition, are seen and counted.

Breast Cancer Now has already made an enormous contribution to research in Scotland, supporting groundbreaking science and working to improve the lives of people affected by breast cancer. The wear it pink campaign has been a huge part of that work. This year marks 25 years of the campaign. Since it began, it has raised more than £45 million to support life-changing research and help for people affected. That is an extraordinary legacy, and I know that Christina was proud to have played her part in helping to build that campaign.

When I wear it pink this October, it will be Christina I will be remembering. I will remember her compassion, her kindness, her hugs, her laughter, her sparkle and, of course, her love of pink. I will remember and I will miss what she was in all of our lives: a woman who cared deeply about those in the most need, a woman who used her voice for the voiceless, a woman who wanted to make a difference where it mattered the most and a woman who, even during the most difficult time in her own life, continued to think about others.

Let us keep Christina’s spirit alive. Let us raise some money. Let us raise awareness. Let us support research and improve data. Let us wear it pink.

18:03

I thank Clare Adamson for bringing this debate to the chamber. Breast cancer is one of those things that most of us only think that we understand the importance of until, suddenly, it feels very close. I am over 50 now and, in the middle of July, I went for my first routine breast screening as part of the over-50s programme. I have Christina McKelvie’s activism to thank for that.

The big mobile unit was parked outside my doctor’s surgery, so I went along and had the mammogram. I did not think too much more about it until, at the beginning of August, I was called to the hospital to follow up with another mammogram. Within 10 minutes, I was taken through for an ultrasound. The doctor saw something that he felt that he should investigate and asked whether I would be comfortable having a biopsy there and then. Of course, although a bit flustered, I said yes. I have to say that the care that I received was absolutely incredible. Within a very short space of time, I had been seen, scanned, examined and had the biopsy taken.

Then came the waiting. I was told to come back in two weeks—not very long—for the results, and to bring somebody with me to celebrate if it was good news or to be there to support me if it was not. I am a chronic overthinker at the best of times, so, during those two weeks, I considered just about every possible outcome. I thought about my children. I thought about treatment. I thought about my job. I thought about what I would need to organise if the news was bad.

Then, in the middle of August, on the morning that I was getting ready to go to the hospital for my appointment, I got a phone call. There was no need to come in: everything was clear. There was enormous relief, of course, but there was something else, too. My stomach flipped, playing out the worst-case scenario, knowing that, on that same morning, another woman would be getting ready and walking into the hospital to hear the news that I had spent two weeks fearing and that her world would be turned upside down.

That experience really struck me. It is one of the reasons why I wanted to speak today. If there is one thing that I would say to women listening, it is this: please go and get your mammogram; please check your breasts and get to know what is normal for you; if something changes, get it checked; and do not put it off because you are frightened of what might be found. I understand that fear now, but screening saves lives and early diagnosis matters.

That is why the work of Breast Cancer Now really matters. As has been said, since 2002 the wear It pink campaign has raised more than £45 million for research and support, while also raising awareness of secondary breast cancer, for which there is still no cure.

Today, we also remember our dear friend and colleague, Christina McKelvie. The first time I met Christina in person, she gave me the biggest hug before we even introduced ourselves properly. She brought warmth, compassion and humanity to this Parliament, and her commitment to raising awareness continues to matter today and always. The wear it pink day raises money, but it also makes people talk. It makes someone check themselves, it may make them book an appointment that they have been putting off, and it can make someone feel a little less alone.

I was lucky—I know that—and I will never forget the relief that I felt when that phone call came. I am also incredibly grateful that I went for that mammogram in the first place. So, yes, let us wear it pink, but more than that, let us use the day to remind the women we love and ourselves to check, to go when the letter arrives and not to ignore something because we are frightened, because being checked really can save your life.

18:07

Stephen Kerr is talking about the Beatson centre, where I spent many hours, and about the staff there, and it occurs to me that on one occasion, when I was there with Christina, the tea trolley came round, and the person who was pushing the tea trolley was Jeane Freeman, the former health secretary. Of course, she had her own battles, but the commitment to volunteer is huge, and there are many people like that at the Beatson and elsewhere.

If members will just bear with me a moment, I will gather my thoughts and my papers to respond to the many points that have been raised this afternoon.

I start by thanking my friend and colleague, Clare Adamson, for lodging this important motion and for providing us all with the opportunity to recognise Breast Cancer Now’s wear it pink day 2026. Of course, we all pay tribute to Breast Cancer Now and to the dedicated staff the length and breadth of Scotland, and, as others have done, I highlight the importance of volunteers.

I want to acknowledge the many contributions that we have heard tonight. Clare Adamson, Keith Brown and Amanda Bland all brought to the chamber very personal stories of loss as well as hope. Karen Adam, Stephen Kerr and Monica Lennon all spoke very powerfully of the worries that people can have for their own health or that of their loved ones.

In the time that I have, I will endeavour to address the issues that were raised in relation to data collection, and access to new treatments. I will also address the points about equality and those about families and young people.

I am pleased to acknowledge the motion’s recognition of the work of Breast Cancer Now. As we have heard, the charity makes an invaluable contribution to people who are affected by breast cancer through its research, campaigning and support services while amplifying the voices of patients and their families. I also recognise the vital contribution of Scotland’s third sector.

The success of the wear it pink campaign for more than two decades demonstrates the generosity of people across Scotland and the wider UK. Since 2002, the campaign has raised more than £40 million to support research and care while raising awareness of breast cancer.

As other members have done, I acknowledge the tribute paid in the motion to our late friend and colleague Christina McKelvie. I am wearing some beads that Christina gave me for my 40th birthday, which was not yesterday. Like Karen Adam, I am well on the wrong side of 50, and I feel very blessed that that is the case. Christina was a passionate advocate for women’s health, who encouraged women to be aware of breast cancer symptoms and to attend screening when invited. We have heard that message over and over again tonight—that screening saves lives. Her commitment to improving the lives of women across Scotland continues to inspire many of us.

As we have also heard, breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers in Scotland, with more than 5,000 people diagnosed each year. That is why it continues to be a national priority for the Government and for NHS Scotland.

There are reasons to be hopeful. Outcomes continue to improve, and the latest data from Public Health Scotland shows that 86.7 per cent of women who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2018 and 2022 are expected to survive for at least five years after diagnosis. Our “Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033” and the accompanying cancer action plan set out a clear vision to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. We also continue to improve breast cancer services through national clinical management pathways and quality performance indicators. The breast cancer clinical management pathway helps to ensure that patients receive consistent, high-quality, evidence-based care from diagnosis through to treatment and follow-up.

Early diagnosis is absolutely critical. Scotland’s national breast screening programme plays a key role in detecting breast cancer before symptoms develop. Eligible women who are aged 50 to 70 are invited for screening every three years. Work is under way to modernise the service following the reporting of the breast screening modernisation report. Update and equity of the service remain a priority while that work takes place, particularly for women who live in our most deprived communities. That is why all NHS boards have implemented equity strategies for screening, which is supported by £1 million of Scottish Government investment. We are also empowering people in our most deprived communities to get checked early through the be the early bird marketing campaign and various roadshows.

The other point about equity that many members have raised relates to location, geography and rurality. We want as many people as possible to be treated as close to home as possible, and we continue to work with health boards when, for example, there is a need to travel. For some of the specialist services, we know that people will have to travel when it is clinically appropriate. When travel is appropriate, I very much expect health boards to work collaboratively and to make arrangements that are person centred in order to make things as easy as possible.

To ensure that women in Scotland feel valued, supported and are aware of the important health information that they need to live longer and healthier lives, a card will be sent to every woman resident in Scotland around their 50th birthday, and it will be known as the Christina card in honour of our friend Christina McKelvie. It is intended that the card will include helpful health information such as how to access menopause support, information on eligibility for various screening and testing programmes and information on checking for lumps and bumps.

Clare Adamson and many other colleagues spoke about the importance of data collection. I very much recognise that improving data collection has been a long-standing priority for Breast Cancer Now and for patients. Having high-quality data is essential if we are to understand patient experiences better, plan services effectively and continue to improve outcomes.

I confirm that, for the first time, the methodology for collecting metastatic breast cancer data in Scotland has been agreed and that we are on track to meet that commitment before the end of 2027. That is built on the work undertaken by Jenni Minto, who agreed a methodology for the collection with Public Health Scotland just prior to the election. Public Health Scotland is now working hard to launch that over the coming months.

Keith Brown raised important points on the collection of data on sepsis and on secondary breast cancer, which I will take away and consider.

We know that there is always much more to do, but I hope that I have been able to demonstrate our commitment to improving care and outcomes for patients. At a time of sustained pressure on our NHS, any clinical time devoted to data collection or audit must deliver meaningful information that can help to improve services and patient outcomes. I hope that I have demonstrated that we are moving forward with data collection.

Members have spoken powerfully about new and innovative treatments. Clare Adamson spoke about the necessity of getting the right treatment at the right time. Recent advances in precision medicine, including elacestrant, which was recently approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, are creating new treatment options for some patients living with advanced breast cancer. However, access to some of those medicines depends on genomic testing being available to identify the patients who are most likely to benefit from it.

I advise members that rapid planning is under way to secure access to the necessary testing, which will be provided via the INTEGRATE circulating tumour DNA—ctDNA—platform study, which has been set up at the west of Scotland innovation hub. Sites will be opened across Scotland, with initial testing being sent away to accredited laboratories in the NHS. I am happy to provide any member with further information. I underscore the point that we are working hard with industry and partners in the NHS, in recognition that everybody deserves access to the best treatment at the right time.

I will take a moment to acknowledge the powerful points that have been made about the importance of families. We have the children’s action plan, and we are committed to implementing Isla’s principles, which are based on the experience of a young woman—a teenager—who died of breast cancer. That work involves raising awareness based on the best evidence on unusual and persistent symptoms.

I again thank Clare Adamson for securing the debate. I recognise the continued contribution of the NHS, the third sector and patients themselves. By continuing to invest in awareness, screening, treatment, research, innovation and patient support, we can continue to improve outcomes for people affected by breast cancer across Scotland, ensuring that they receive the very highest possible standard of care.

Dionne Hossack is doing the London marathon, and our own barista, Kirsty Rafferty, is completing the Supernova challenge. I am sure that they are both looking for our support to raise funds—if I am allowed to say that. I am not sure if I am abusing my position by mentioning that but, if I am, I will just take six of the belt.

Once again, I thank everybody for their contribution, and I thank you, Presiding Officer, for your patience, as I have gone way over time.

Meeting closed at 18:36.