HOLLYOAKS’ actress Carley Stenson, who plays ‘Steph Cunningham’ in the Channel 4 soap, is helping NHS Ashton, Leigh and Wigan in its borough wide bid to help protect school girls against cervical cancer with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

Local girl Carley is appealing to all 12 and 13 year old girls in school year eight to ‘Arm Against Cervical Cancer’ and take the vaccination course of three injections, offering protection against the most common cause of cervical cancer.

For the vaccination to be effective and help protect against cervical cancer, it is important that girls be immunised with all three HPV jabs, so Carley is giving three girls in the borough, who get all three jabs, the chance to be part of a local advertising campaign and become the faces behind ‘Arm Against Cervical Cancer’ 2009.

Upon receiving the third jab in May 2009, girls will be handed a competition entry card from their school nurse, which once signed by a parent or guardian can be deposited in a designated drop box in school. Carley will then pick three lucky girls – one from Ashton, one from Leigh and one from Wigan to be the poster girls for next year’s local campaign.

The three lucky winners will win a VIP makeover and photo shoot with Carley and a fantastic girly goodie bag.

Girls can get more information about the competition from their school nurse or by texting CARLEY to 82540. Just by texting this number, girls will also get a reminder text message when their next HPV jab is due.

“Sadly, cervical cancer kills three women a day in England and it is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 35. Cervical cancer can be prevented through regular screening and now through the introduction of the HPV vaccine,” Carley said.