‘Keep slaying the dragon inside’: Simon Armitage pens poem for World Cancer Day

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 5 min read 100% complete by Hannah Al-Othman North of England correspondentJanuary 27, 2026 at 06:48 PM

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Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has written a poem, "The Campaign," for World Cancer Day, commissioned by Yorkshire Cancer Research. Initially hesitant due to personal losses to cancer, Armitage aimed to demystify the disease through his work. He met with 17 people connected to cancer research and treatment at the Yorkshire Cancer Research center in Harrogate, including researchers, families, and patients, to gather inspiration. The poem intends to offer a message of optimism and hope, avoiding sentimentality, and concludes with the phrase "we keep on Yorkshiring on." The poem marks the charity's centenary and aims to provide a lasting piece of art.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Harrogate 40% Kathryn Scott 40% Gary Lovelace ×250% Yorkshire ×670% World Cancer Day ×270% Yorkshire Cancer Research ×380% Simon Armitage ×790%

Keywords

cancer 100% poem 90% world cancer day 80% simon armitage 70% yorkshire cancer research 70% research 60% yorkshire 50% charity 50% emotional 40%

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Positive

Score: 0.40

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Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Yorkshire

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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cancer poem world cancer day simon armitage yorkshire cancer research research yorkshire charity emotional

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