Wet Wet Wet star Marti Pellow put on a special performance for patients and staff at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre.
The singer has re-released the band’s hit single Love Is All Around as part of a campaign with ITV’s Lorraine Kelly to raise awareness of breast cancer symptoms and to encourage early detection.
He visited the Beatson this morning, performing in the Beatson Cancer Charity Café on NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Gartnavel campus.
Marti also met patients who are undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the Centre’s Radiotherapy Department and Macmillan Day Bed Unit, as well as staff members who support them.
During his performance, he was joined by former Beatson patient, Mairi Milne, 55, from Bridge of Weir, who sings on the track as part of a choir of women who discovered they had breast cancer after watching Lorraine’s chat show.
And he was given a signed copy of a book by former patient Gillian Shirreffs, 54, from the west end of Glasgow, which was written before her breast cancer diagnosis in August 2021. The proceeds of Gillian’s book, Brodie, will go to the Beatson Cancer Charity as her way of giving back for the care she received.
Marti said: “This is a very special place with such a big catchment area for the whole of the west of Scotland for people receiving treatment.
“Since I’ve come in the door I’ve been met with so many smiles and hugs.
“It’s quite poignant for me too because my father was given his diagnosis here and I’ve always driven by and when I look at it it makes me think of my father.
“If there’s anything there that’s not your normal, go and get it checked. There’s a good chance there’s nothing wrong with you but it’s important to be aware and get checked if there are changes.
“The beautiful thing about this is that we are giving the message through the gift of song, and that’s what makes it special and so powerful.”
Lorraine’s Change+Check campaign is now in its sixth year. It encourages women to check their breasts for changes and stresses the importance of seeing a GP if they notice anything unusual.
Last year’s campaign single with Joss Stone, Golden, reached number one in the charts.
Love Is All Around, which was originally released almost 30 years ago, is out now, with proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness UK.
Cathy Hutchison, NHSGGC Cancer Consultant Nurse at the Beatson, said: “We were delighted to welcome Marti to the Beatson today, where patients and staff were able to meet him and enjoy a special performance.
“Having someone of his profile highlight the importance of routine checks and screening for breast cancer is invaluable.
“We’re grateful to Marti for coming along and helping to raise awareness of the work we do here at the Beatson.”
