Nighat Awan, the legendary owner of Shere Khan, one of Manchester's most successful chain of Indian restaurants, got a taste of life at a cancer charity today when she took part in a job swap with CancerBACUP's Chief Executive Joanne Rule. While Rule headed up north to supervise Shere Khan's six chic Manchester restaurants, Awan came south to take the helm at CancerBacup, the largest specialist provider of cancer information in the UK; overseeing a freephone helpline currently receiving a thousand calls a week.

Nighat Awan has first-hand experience of living with cancer. Twelve years ago she was diagnosed and successfully treated for thyroid cancer. She knows how vital it is for people to have access to independent, reliable, up-to-date information and support tailored to individual needs.

"When I was having my treatment I needed someone I could talk to who would take the time to answer all my questions, listen to my fears and help me cope with the uncertainty," she said. The CancerBacup helpline and information service meets all those needs. Today I particularly enjoyed spending time with the nurses on the helpline, learning more about the information service generally and offering some ideas based on my own experience."

Nighat wasted little time in her day. The energetic 48-year-old held a swift photo call followed by a meeting with the directors of the charity. "I already knew about CancerBacup but the job swap idea inspired me to think that if I worked here for a day I might just understand it better. In my business I always encourage people to come and spend a few hours with us so they can understand who we are and what we do, so there is direct comparison between the business world and charity world".

Nighat becomes philosophical about her own experience with cancer "it makes one immediately deny or block out that it's there, but then you want to learn more about it and get rid of it. You need to reach a point of turning a negative into a positive and doing something about it". Having lost her mother to cancer at the age of fifty, Awan clearly realises the enormous barriers within the Asian community, "our culture breeds into us that we should keep everything hidden when really we should be sharing our experiences. It is only through shared knowledge that we can learn about how to deal with cancer."

The mother of three, does however feel that we have moved forward in the last ten years. From networking and great coverage in the media, cancer is being discussed more openly . "My advice to anyone with cancer is not to immediately give everything up. Keep your routine going. Talk to other people and do something about it - the quicker the better. Never leave it. The routine of your day is the most important thing" she added.

Nighat Awan was born in England to Indian parents. Her parents later migrated to Lahore and she feels equally comfortable in India and Pakistan. She started her first business aged eighteen, opened a chain of clothes boutiques at twenty and created a floristry business bought by Interflora. In 1987 she got involved with husband Rafique's restaurant business Shere Khan, abolishing flock wallpaper and velvet drapes in favour of fresh, funky interiors and bright colours. She is credited with helping to change the face of Indian cuisine, repositioning Indian food as an everyday meal. She also launched a range of Shere Khan products sold in major supermarkets throughout the UK, Europe and Canada.

Awan has tried to link up with cancer charities with a plan to offer a penny from each jar of Shere Khan curry sauce sold, but the deal with the Cancer Research Fund fell through amid concerns that there is insufficient research to state whether curry is good for health. Undaunted, Awan firmly believes that there are health benefits in all curries. "They contain natural products and spices like turmeric, which contains curcumin, and ginger and garlic all have healing properties. Different spices have different benefits for parts of your body and you can't get closer to natural health than with a curry provided you avoid ghee, sugar and excessive salt."

For a lady whose motto is "health is wealth", it will not be long before Shere Khan launches a range of healthy eating, low-fat curry sauces.

ABOUT CANCERBACUP

CancerBACUP is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer. It is part of the Department of Health Coalition for Cancer Information, which aims to ensure cancer information is of a high standard and widely accessible.

CancerBACUP Support Service

Freephone 0808 800 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm). The charity's interactive website can be found at www.cancerbacup.org.uk

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