Arsenal Women are throwing their weight behind the ‘Defend Your Tomorrow’ campaign which aims to support the NHS’s goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040.

‘Defend Your Tomorrow’ has been launched by MSD UK in collaboration with The Eve Appeal, and will be marked at this Sunday’s women’s North London derby. Arsenal will use their platform to promote a series of matchday messages, with activities also taking place to encourage supporters to visit their GP or the DefendYourTomorrow.co.uk website for information.

Leah Williamson and Arsenal team-mates Katie McCabe, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Manu Zinsberger all feature in the campaign, which looks to raise awareness of cervical cancer and its possible prevention through existing NHS services such as the NHS cervical screening programme and NHS vaccination programme.

Beth Mead also features in the campaign, with the cause particularly close to the Arsenal and England forward’s heart after her mother passed away a little over two years ago after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

“One of the cancers that spread for my mum was cervical as well,” Mead explained to Sky Sports News.

“It was not a primary one [but] it’s another one that is close to me and something that we want to raise awareness of within women and girls. I think it goes under the radar a little bit and people [sometimes] you know take for granted going for a smear test, as easy as it is once you’ve booked an appointment.

“But we want to be a part of putting that out there. By 2040 they want to make it completely preventable, that’s the NHS’s plan. And we’d obviously like to be a part of that, help promote it, put it out there – and make it hopefully a cancer that we don’t talk about anymore.

“That’s the plan, and we’re in a good position and have a platform to be able to help promote that and hopefully help a lot more people avoid the horrible cancer that it is.”

‘We need to come together to protect our futures’

Arsenal vice-captain Williamson said: “This week is about what it means to represent Arsenal and the badge we play for.

“But it’s also our time to come together to protect what is special to us – our health, our friends, our families, and our extended north London community – against cervical cancer. We know that almost all cases may be preventable, and we need to come together to protect our futures.”

MSD UK & Ireland managing director Ben Lucas said: “By harnessing the passion and reach of women’s football, particularly through our engagement with Arsenal Women, we can connect with diverse communities across the UK in meaningful dialogue about this significant health challenge. We hope this campaign will encourage everyone to seek more information about cervical cancer.”

Athena Lamnisos, CEO of The Eve Appeal, added: “The possibility of eliminating cervical cancer is within our reach. A remarkable achievement and something that will save thousands of lives a year in the UK. We are delighted to stand with MSD and Arsenal to help raise awareness of cervical cancer and what we can all do to help prevent it and treat it at the earliest stage.”