English: I'm pleased to add my support to this motion today, and hope that this debate will play some small part in the important task of raising awareness on the issues around bowel cancer - particularly awareness of the symptoms, and the vital importance of taking up screening, as so many others have already mentioned. When I first started looking at this issue I was particularly struck by the figures on the incidence of bowel cancer in many of the Valleys communities, including in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. For example, Bowel Cancer UK report that those living in the Cwm Taf health board area have a significantly greater chance of being diagnosed with bowel cancer than those in the neighbouring Cardiff and Vale health board area. Similar variations in pattern also show at local authority level. So this is clearly a health issue that's of significant importance in my constituency, and I therefore wanted to take this opportunity to mention Chris Daniel from Merthyr, who set out his story on the Bowel Cancer UK website. Chris is currently undertaking a virtual cycle ride of 18,000 miles around the world in memory of his wife Rita. I believe that today is day 167 of his ride, and Chris has just passed through the Canadian Rockies. In reality, Chris has actually been cycling inside Companies House, as he moves his fundraising effort around locations, but remarkably, through technology, his virtual ride includes simulations of all the terrain conditions, including all the climbs on his journey as well, and his daily videos suggest that the Rockies has been the toughest section of his ride so far. But, in the process, Chris is raising money for Bowel Cancer UK, Velindre Cancer Centre, and Cancer Research Wales - an amazing response to the personal tragedy that Chris has had to deal with. So, I'd just like to take the chance in this debate to thank you, Chris, for your efforts in this regard. Because this is such an important issue, and due to the stories being told by people like Chris, I'm joining my colleagues Vikki Howells and Lynne Neagle this Friday, 18 May, in a day of joint campaigning with Bowel Cancer UK across our Valleys constituencies in order to help raise awareness, in an attempt to help beat bowel cancer. Our aim is to support the Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer charities in raising the profile of the symptoms of bowel cancer, as too many people either don't know or just ignore the symptoms. It's a new venture for us, in which we're joining forces to host events to help the charity deliver their vital messages. It's not party political campaigning, but it is using our positions as AMs to host events and to help promote the public health messages. During the day, we will be holding events in Aberdare, in Rhymney, and in Cwmbran, and you're all welcome to join us. You can get details from my office if you're interested. It's also good to see that Lowri Griffiths from Bowel Cancer UK is talking to the Martyrs business network at Merthyr Town Football Club tomorrow morning, because employers also have an important role in helping to spread awareness of this issue to their employees. So, as Hefin said earlier on, let's break some of the taboos around it and let's talk about the symptoms. Let's not dress it up in polite language: we're talking about bleeding from your bottom, we're talking about blood in your poo, we're talking about a persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit. For me, there is an important message for everyone: don't be shy, let's talk poo, literally, and let's make sure that people take action to check for the symptoms of bowel cancer. Then, as a result, we might get more people recognising the vital importance of screening, because screening is straightforward, as we've already heard. As Hefin's already waved it around, I'll wave it around as well - the kits that are readily available. Screening kits are readily available and are automatically sent to everyone over the age of 60 every two years up to the age of 74. And of course we've heard calls as well for lowering the starting age for screening. So, let's all play our part in raising the knowledge of the symptoms and encouraging people to take up screening. Let's hope that we can play our part in preventing more people like Chris's wife Rita, Sam Gould, Steffan Lewis, and their families, from having to go through the trials and tribulations of diagnosis, of treatment, and in some cases finality. I sincerely hope that Steffan continues to challenge his condition, because we're all with you - I'm rooting for you, comrade.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch o ychwanegu fy nghefnogaeth i'r cynnig hwn heddiw, a gobeithio y bydd y ddadl hon yn chwarae rhan fach yn y dasg bwysig o godi ymwybyddiaeth o faterion sy'n ymwneud â chanser y coluddyn - yn arbennig ymwybyddiaeth o'r symptomau, a phwysigrwydd hanfodol manteisio ar sgrinio, fel y mae cymaint o bobl eraill eisoes wedi sôn. Pan ddechreuais edrych ar y mater hwn cefais fy nharo'n arbennig gan ffigurau niferoedd yr achosion o ganser y coluddyn yn llawer o gymunedau'r Cymoedd, gan gynnwys ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni. Er enghraifft, mae Bowel Cancer UK yn dweud bod y rhai sy'n byw yn ardal bwrdd iechyd Cwm Taf yn wynebu posibilrwydd sylweddol uwch o gael diagnosis o ganser y coluddyn na rhai sy'n byw yn ardal gyfagos bwrdd iechyd Caerdydd a'r Fro. Gwelir amrywiadau tebyg yn y patrwm hefyd ar lefel awdurdodau lleol. Felly, yn amlwg mae hwn yn fater iechyd sydd o bwys mawr yn fy etholaeth, ac o'r herwydd, roeddwn am fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i sôn am Chris Daniel ym Merthyr Tudful sydd wedi rhoi ei stori ar wefan Bowel Cancer UK. Mae Chris ar hyn o bryd yn cyflawni taith feicio rithwir 18,000 o filltiroedd o amgylch y byd er cof am ei wraig Rita. Credaf mai heddiw yw diwrnod 167 o'i daith, ac mae Chris newydd basio drwy'r Rockies yng Nghanada. Mewn gwirionedd, mae Chris wedi bod yn beicio tu mewn i Dŷ'r Cwmnïau, wrth iddo symud ei ymdrechion codi arian o gwmpas lleoliadau, ond yn rhyfeddol, drwy dechnoleg, mae ei daith rithwir yn cynnwys efelychiadau o holl natur y tir, gan gynnwys pob dringfa ar ei daith yn ogystal, ac mae ei fideos dyddiol yn awgrymu mai'r Rockies yw'r rhan anoddaf o'i daith hyd yma. Ond yn y broses, mae Chris yn codi arian ar gyfer Bowel Cancer UK, Canolfan Ganser Felindre, ac Ymchwil Canser Cymru - ymateb anhygoel i'r trychineb personol y bu'n rhaid i Chris ymdopi ag ef. Felly, hoffwn fanteisio ar y cyfle yn y ddadl hon i ddiolch i chi, Chris, am eich ymdrechion yn hyn o beth. Gan fod hwn yn fater mor bwysig, ac oherwydd y straeon sy'n cael eu hadrodd gan bobl fel Chris, rwy'n ymuno â fy nghyd-Aelodau Vikki Howells a Lynne Neagle y dydd Gwener hwn, 18 Mai, mewn diwrnod o ymgyrchu ar y cyd â Bowel Cancer UK ar draws ein hetholaethau yn y Cymoedd er mwyn helpu i godi ymwybyddiaeth, mewn ymgais i helpu i drechu canser y coluddyn. Ein nod yw cefnogi'r elusennau Bowel Cancer UK a Beating Bowel Cancer i godi proffil symptomau canser y coluddyn, gan fod gormod o bobl naill ai'n anymwybodol o'r symptomau, neu'n eu hanwybyddu. Mae'n fenter newydd i ni, lle rydym yn dod at ein gilydd i gynnal digwyddiadau i helpu'r elusen i gyflwyno eu negeseuon hollbwysig. Nid ymgyrchu gwleidyddol ydyw, ond defnyddio ein swyddi fel ACau i gynnal digwyddiadau ac i helpu i hyrwyddo'r negeseuon iechyd y cyhoedd. Yn ystod y dydd, byddwn yn cynnal digwyddiadau yn Aberdâr, yn Rhymni, ac yng Nghwmbrân, ac mae croeso i chi ymuno â ni. Gallwch gael manylion o fy swyddfa os oes gennych ddiddordeb. Mae hefyd yn dda gweld bod Lowri Griffiths o Bowel Cancer UK yn siarad â rhwydwaith busnes Martyrs yng Nghlwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr bore yfory, gan fod gan gyflogwyr hefyd rôl bwysig i'w chwarae yn helpu i ledaenu ymwybyddiaeth o'r mater hwn ymysg eu gweithwyr. Felly, fel y dywedodd Hefin yn gynharach, gadewch i ni chwalu peth o'r tabŵ o'i amgylch a gadewch i ni siarad am y symptomau. Gadewch inni beidio â'i wisgo mewn iaith gwrtais: rydym yn sôn am waedu o'ch pen-ôl, rydym yn sôn am waed yn eich carthion, rydym yn sôn am newid parhaus ac anesboniadwy yn arferion eich coluddyn. I mi, mae yna neges bwysig i bawb: peidiwch â bod yn swil, gadewch inni siarad am garthion, yn llythrennol, a gadewch inni wneud yn siŵr fod pobl yn cymryd camau i edrych am symptomau canser y coluddyn. Yna, o ganlyniad, efallai y cawn fwy o bobl i gydnabod pwysigrwydd hanfodol sgrinio, oherwydd mae sgrinio'n syml, fel y clywsom eisoes. Gan fod Hefin eisoes wedi ei chwifio, fe wnaf fi ei chwifio hefyd - y pecynnau sydd ar gael yn hawdd. Mae pecynnau sgrinio ar gael yn rhwydd a chânt eu hanfon yn awtomatig at bawb dros 60 oed bob dwy flynedd hyd at 74 oed. Ac wrth gwrs rydym wedi clywed galwadau hefyd am ostwng yr oedran cychwyn ar gyfer sgrinio. Felly, gadewch i bawb ohonom chwarae ein rhan i gynyddu gwybodaeth am y symptomau ac annog pobl i gael eu sgrinio. Gadewch i ni obeithio y gallwn chwarae ein rhan i atal mwy o bobl fel Rita, gwraig Chris, Sam Gould, Steffan Lewis, a'u teuluoedd, rhag gorfod mynd drwy hynt a helynt diagnosis, triniaeth, ac mewn rhai achosion, marwolaeth. Rwy'n mawr obeithio y bydd Steffan yn parhau i herio ei gyflwr, oherwydd mae pawb ohonom gyda chi - rwyf y tu ôl i chi gant y cant, gyfaill.