A TESLA, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari and Mercedes roared into Ashburton’s River Dart Country Park, to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

The collection of supercars is part of the Bowel Cancer West Awareness Tour, driving a crucial health message around Devon in the hope of saving lives during bowel cancer awareness month in April.

The tour, organised by charity Bowel Cancer West, has been visiting hospitals in the region, meeting with bowel cancer patients and hospital staff, as well as local businesses and members of the public to pass on life-saving advice.

A spokesman for the River Dart Country Park said: ‘It was great to have the BCW Grand Awareness Tour stop at River Dart Country Park this year.

‘The tour is such a great platform to raise awareness for bowel cancer and we thoroughly enjoyed supporting and being part of it.

‘The stop at the park gave visitors a chance to familiarise themselves with the charity and it was a really successful, sunny afternoon.’

Each year, around 40,000 men and women are diagnosed with bowel cancer. It’s the UK’s second biggest cause of death through cancer, often because too many people either aren’t aware of the symptoms, will ignore them or remain too shy to seek advice.

Plymouth colorectal surgeon Mark Coleman, who founded Bowel Cancer West, said: ‘Driving these amazing cars in convoy is a lot of fun but there’s a very serious message we are trying to get across to the public that bowel cancer be cured in more than 90 per cent of cases if

caught early.

‘During our tour, we’ve been passing life-saving advice for anyone experiencing irregular bowel habits, bleeding from the bottom or abdominal pain or bloating to visit their GP. Likewise, anyone over the age of 60 who receives a free NHS test in the post, must not ignore this.’

For more information on

bowel cancer see www.bowelcancerwest.com