Jan Richardson was working as a primary school teacher in July, 1996, when she stepped out of the bath and glimpsed what she thought was a bruise on the side of her breast.

On closer inspection she realised there was a hard lump there which seemed to come from nowhere.

"I went straight to the doctor's and he was very good and reassuring, but I thought 'this is cancer' - the lump was hard and very definite, like a marble," she said.

Her instincts were proved right when, after being referred to the breast screening unit at Airedale Hospital in Steeton, near Keighley, cancer was confirmed.

"I had a needle aspiration but that was inconclusive so I was given a lumpectomy," she said. "After that I was given chemotherapy, radiotherapy and Tamoxifen. They hit me with the lot," said the 47-year-old.

Jan's way of dealing with cancer was to read as much about the subject as possible. She sent off for information from several cancer charities and also joined the breast care support group at Airedale Hospital.

"I met women who were further down the line in their treatment and they offered really great support," she said.

Now Jan credits cancer with putting new opportunities in front of her.

She said: "I retired a couple of years ago because I was no longer physically up to the job. I had a whirl at floristry, but then I decided to get back into studying and I am currently doing two A levels. Cancer gave me the courage to just go out and do something new. It was nice to have the opportunity to change direction and try something different."

It was just over five years ago that Jan's cancer was diagnosed, and since then she has been working hard to help others with the disease.

She is a volunteer at a breast cancer screening unit and has also set up AireStart at Airedale Hospital, which helps women who have lost their hair through treatment. It is also open to women who have hair loss for any other reason.

As a keen fundraiser for cancer research, Jan is backing the Telegraph & Argus Bradford Can... Cancer Research Appeal, which aims to raise £1 million. This will trigger a further £5 million of funding from The Cancer Research Campaign.

She said: "My treatment was good but it could have been better. Right from the beginning I was keen to take part in clinical trials - that way I felt I was doing my bit.

"You cannot rely on the Government to fund cancer research. If it was not for people putting themselves out at a local level, cancer research would not have got as far as it has. And people should reme-mber fundraising events are fun!"

AireStart's next meeting takes place at the hospital on Thursday November 16. For more information contact Kath Dyer on 01535 292758.