GLASGOW’S female football players have joined forces with a leading cervical cancer charity in a bid to encourage women to attend their smears.

Almost one in three people with a cervix fail to attend routine cervical screening appointments prompting the soccer stars at Glasgow City FC to throw their support behind Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

The team has joined the charity’s Time to Test plea which encourages employers to commit to giving employees the opportunity to take time off to attend the appointment.

Laura Montgomery, Glasgow City CEO, said: "As a club that champions women and girls, women's health is an important priority for us.

“We are delighted to partner with Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and join their campaign to encourage as many women as possible to get tested regularly.

“As the campaign states, smear tests save lives, it is as simple as that and we look forward to promoting this message throughout the season and helping as many women as possible."

Women have reported concerns with work as being one of the biggest barriers for non-attendance, with one in five having to use annual leave to attend the appointment.

In Glasgow and Clyde, cervical screening attendance is the lowest across the whole of Scotland at 61.4%. This compares to Shetland at the top of the table with a 78.5% rate.

Meanwhile, 62% say that an increase in discussion about women’s health in the workplace would make them feel more comfortable taking time off to look after their health.

A further 15% have delayed a cervical screening because they felt unable to take time off work.

Samantha Dixon, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust chief executive, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Glasgow City FC to spread the word that smear tests save lives.

“There can be so many reasons cervical screening can be a difficult test. This includes not knowing what the test is for, embarrassment, anxiety or work commitments.

“One of our aims at Jo’s is to make sure that everyone has the information and support they need to get tested, and we’re so pleased that Glasgow City FC is joining us on that mission this season.”

The Glasgow Times launched its campaign, Don’t Fear the Smear, in order to increase the city’s staggeringly low uptake numbers.

It has also called on both the health board and the Scottish Government to reduce wait times for both initial results and follow-up colposcopy procedures.

As previously reported, results should take just two weeks to be returned to a patient with follow-ups to take place around eight weeks later, however, current wait times are as long as eight weeks for initial results and a massive 52 weeks for colposcopies.

Support Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and help make cervical cancer a thing of the past. If you have questions or need to talk, call the helpline for information or support on 0808 802 8000.