Why is a North Devon town clock lit up in purple throughout November?

The Albert Clock in Barnstaple is being lit up purple for the rest of November as part of a campaign to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, after a request from the family of a local man who died from the disease aged just 62.

Steve Dobbs, from Chivenor, passed away in August 2024, just seven months after the disease was diagnosed.

The illumination of the clock tower in his memory is part of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, which runs throughout November, culminating in World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Thursday, November 20.

Above: Steve Dobbs, who died from pancreatic cancer aged just 62.

Steve moved to North Devon from London in 2019, after a career in the film industry as a technician – he had even worked on the Harry Potter film series.

His daughter Rachel said that before his illness, he was a fit, active man who had never smoked, did not drink to excess and would travel with his son Paul to watch their beloved Tottenham Hotspur, where he was a season ticket holder for 22 years.

In September 2023 he began to experience itchy legs and pain in his lower back. Rachel explained that as the pain worsened, his family ‘nagged him’ to see a doctor, who initially thought it may have been a gallstone issue.

Initial scans did not reveal the problem, but in January 2024, after more tests, he was given the diagnosis, with a prognosis of between 10 and 12 months. He was then aged 61.

Rachel said: “He had aggressive chemotherapy and really suffered through the chemotherapy.

“And then they scanned him again and they said ‘the chemo's not working. If you want it, you're more than welcome to carry on, but it's not doing anything. And if you were my dad, I would recommend you stop’.

“So he stopped. And then on August 16, 2024, he died.”

Above: Steve Dobbs with his family – son Paul, wife Sally and daughter Rachel.

Rachel added: “We were all in absolute shock and heartbroken. Dad and our family were supported through this horrendous time by our GP, Dr Susanna Hill and Caen Medical Centre, Braunton. I honestly don't know how we would have got through that year without her, as well as the district nurses, who were also fantastic.”

What advice would Steve’s family have for anyone worried that they may have the symptoms of pancreatic cancer? “To go to their doctor and insist on tests,” said Rachel.

Pancreatic Cancer UK is funding research to develop a breath test that they want to be able to get into GP surgeries. Rachel added: “They're very, very hopeful that this could be a breakthrough in the disease.

“But the symptoms are just so vague. If you get a pain in your back, insist that they do tests, because if they don't do tests, then it's too late.”

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The Albert Clock is one of many landmarks being lit up across the UK during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness month and the day itself.

A spokesperson for Barnstaple Town Council said: “The town council is proud to light the Albert Clock in purple, reflecting our continued support for community and national awareness campaigns.”

Pancreatic cancer – what you should know

• In the UK one person dies every hour.
• There are 8,800 people diagnosed in the UK every year.
• Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers, less than 7% of people in the UK survive five years or more.
• The five-year survival rate has seen little improvement since the 1970s.
• Pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer in the UK, and predicted to become the fourth by 2030, overtaking breast cancer.
• Pancreatic cancer receives around 1% of national cancer research funding.
• 80% of those diagnosed receive a late diagnosis, where the cancer has already metastasised and have around between two and six months survival.
• Around 20% are diagnosed at a stage when they are eligible for surgery but only 10% are actually offered the surgery, the only treatment that can cure this disease.
• 48% of diagnosis are made by emergency admission.
• More than 40% of patients visit their GP three times or more before being referred to hospital.
• 16% visit their GP or hospital seven times before a diagnosis is made.

Once the diagnosis is made, cancer experience surveys in England and Wales demonstrate pancreatic cancer experience is less than satisfactory compared to patients with other cancer types.

Pancreatic Cancer UK is trying to bring in a breath test to GP surgeries. This exciting step forward follows a two-year clinical study, in which scientists at Imperial College London analysed more than 700 breath samples from people with and without pancreatic cancer, as well as from those with other conditions affecting the pancreas.

Scientists are confident the “highly promising” test can detect the disease even in its earliest stages and hope that it could be used by GPs across the country within the next five years.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer include:

• Pain in stomach or back which may come and go
• Unexplained weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pale or dark yellow/orange urine
• Blood clots in a vein
• Jaundice

For more information, visit www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk If you are worried, there is a support line – 08088 010707 or support@pancreaticcancer.org.uk