MORE than 1,000 shoppers visited a set of giant inflatable lungs as a charity shared vital information about lung health.

Members of Albion in the Community’s Speak Up Against Cancer team spent the day talking to shoppers at Brighton’s Churchill Square shopping centre.

It was part of a campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of a range of different cancers.

They were joined by Kirsty Barton from Brighton and Hove Albion’s FA Women’s Super League squad, and the club’s official mascot Gully.

Lung cancer nurse specialists from Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and staff from the Healthy Lifestyles and Public Health teams at Brighton and Hove City Council also volunteered at the event.

A total of 1,148 people visited the inflatable display, including 63 who took a lung health test.

A dozen people committed to reducing the amount they smoked while eight smokers agreed to stop completely or join a stop smoking group to help them eventually quit.

Visitors to the inflatable lungs were able to find out potentially vital information on how to keep their lungs healthy and spot the early signs and symptoms of lung cancer.

Sue Brown, Speak Up Against Cancer co-ordinator, said: “It was fantastic to have so many people visit our display, particularly those who subsequently decided to address their smoking or make other changes towards healthier lungs.

“Our thanks go to everyone who came along and to Churchill Square for providing us with such a superb space in which to engage people.”

The event was part of AITC’s wider work in Brighton and Hove which aims to increase early detection rates of different cancers.

In the last 12 months alone, its Speak Up Against Cancer team has shared potentially life-saving information with more than 17,000 people.

These face-to-face meetings took place at 114 different public events.

Email speakup@albioninthecommunity.org.uk