AS many of you will know, my husband, Roy Castle, lost a very courageous battle with lung cancer in 1994.

Since then, I have vowed to do all I can to help stamp out this terrible disease, which is why I am supporting the Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund's Lung Cancer Awareness Month in January.

Lung cancer claims more than 34,000 lives in the UK every year, making it the country's biggest killer cancer. However, there is some good news. The number of men dying of lung cancer has declined over recent years while those for women show signs of levelling.

Despite it being one of the most common cancers, it is one of the least talked about and funded.

Lung cancer is most frequently caused by smoking, with 80 to 90 per cent of cases related to tobacco. That is why we are urging people to get the new year off to a healthy start by giving up cigarettes.

To help, you can find advice and information from the charities' websites at www.crc.org.uk or www.imperialcancer.co.uk from the beginning of January

Alternatively, visit your GP for support or call Quitline on 0800 002200.

FIONA CASTLE, Patron of the Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund's Lung Cancer Awareness Month.