A WOMAN diagnosed with cervical cancer following a routine test is campaigning to remind people to make sure they get themselves checked out.

Claire Webb, 41, is now doing well after having a hysterectomy a year ago when her cancer was picked up.

Fortunately she did not have to have any chemotherapy or radiotherapy because the cancer was detected before it had a chance to spread.

Ms Webb, from Hangleton, Hove, said: “It is so important that people get themselves tested when they are given an invite for a screening.

“I honestly believe my test saved my life.

“I want to encourage all women to have regular smear tests because you never know what might happen.”

Ms Webb recently took part in a sponsored tandem skydive for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which supported her throughout her diagnosis and treatment.

She said: “They did an amazing job and so I wanted to give something back.

“I made the decision a year ago to do a sky dive and focusing on that helped keep me going.

“I was determined to get better and raise some money. I was nervous before the jump but it turned out to be brilliant.”

Thousands of women across Sussex are putting their health at risk by not getting checked for cervical cancer. The latest available figures show take up rates among 25 to 64- year-olds invited for a screening are falling.

Brighton and Hove had a take up rate of 75.3 per cent between April 2013 and the end of March 2014 compared to 76.5 per cent the year before.

In East Sussex the figure fell slightly from 79.8 per cent to 79.3 per cent while West Sussex dropped from 79.6 per cent to 78.8 per cent.

Screenings can pick up early signs of the condition, which kills about 1,000 people in the UK every year.

In 2009 there was an increase in take-up rates, particularly among younger women, following the death of 27-year-old reality TV star Jade Goody. This has now fallen.

Ms Webb’s call comes ahead of national cervical cancer screening awareness week, which starts on June 15.