A WOMAN who lost her husband to pancreatic cancer wants to turn Evesham purple to raise awareness of the illness.

As part of World Pancreatic Cancer Day on Thursday November 17, Sandra Francis is hoping to get buildings in Evesham to sign up to turn purple for the day or even the whole month.

Mrs Francis lost her husband to the illness in 2012 and has stressed the importance of being diagnosed early.

Mrs Francis said: "To survive pancreatic cancer you have to be diagnosed early and it is important for people to know what the symptoms are.

"If we could get a few buildings to turn purple for the day it would look spectacular and would raise awareness of the illness."

So far, the Almonry Museum has already agreed to turn purple for the day, and Mrs Francis hopes that this can be a catalyst for other buildings to get involved.

She said: "It is brilliant to be able to get such a prominent building on board.

"I would like to make a big plea for other businesses to get involved."

This is the first time the idea of turning buildings purple for the day has been suggested in Evesham, although it does take place up and down the country.

Mrs Francis along with some volunteers will be on hand to give out leaflets detailing the symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

Symptoms of the deadly illness include back pain, loss of appetite, jaundice, nausea and vomiting, difficulty swallowing, recently diagnosed diabetes and changes to bowel habits.

If the illness is diagnosed early enough, you can have a potentially life-saving operation but if it is diagnosed late there is a very low survival rate.

Anyone who is interested in turning their building purple for the day should contact Mrs Francis on 01386 47840 or sandrafrancis@btinternet.com