For Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor, this was far more than just the opening of a new medical facility—it marked the fulfillment of a deeply personal mission inspired by her own battle with breast cancer.

After years of fundraising, campaigning and even taking on some of the world’s toughest mountain climbs, the actress proudly welcomed visitors inside the brand-new National Breast Imaging Academy at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester.

The state-of-the-art centre is expected to transform breast cancer diagnosis and specialist training across the UK, offering hope to thousands of patients every year.

A Dream Years in the Making

Speaking during the academy’s first official tour, the 62-year-old actress couldn’t hide her pride.

“It’s been a long journey but we’ve done it,” she said. “I’m so proud to be a part of the charity.”

The academy has been built through a four-year fundraising campaign led jointly by Prevent Breast Cancer and Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, with Sally becoming one of the campaign’s most recognisable supporters.

For her, walking through the completed building was an emotional moment after years of helping raise the money needed to make the project a reality.

Turning Personal Pain Into Purpose

Sally’s commitment to the cause comes from firsthand experience.

In 2009, while filming a breast cancer storyline for her character Sally Metcalfe on Coronation Street, she decided to examine herself after learning more about the symptoms through the script.

That decision changed her life.

She discovered a lump and was later diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 46—the very same time her on-screen character was facing the disease.

Sally has previously admitted she initially thought doctors had confused her with her television character when they delivered the diagnosis.

Following successful treatment, she dedicated herself to raising awareness and supporting earlier diagnosis for others.

Climbing Mountains to Save Lives

Rather than simply lending her name to the campaign, Sally took on extraordinary fundraising challenges.

She first trekked to Everest Base Camp in 2019 before setting herself an even bigger challenge—climbing Mount Kilimanjaro last year to help fund the academy.

Months of intense preparation, including altitude training, eventually paid off, with every step bringing the new centre closer to completion.

Now she says seeing the finished building makes every challenge worthwhile.

A Centre That Could Change Thousands of Lives

The National Breast Imaging Academy has been designed not only to provide breast screening but also to tackle one of the UK’s biggest shortages of specialist imaging staff.

According to Prevent Breast Cancer, the facility will:

• Train up to 50 new breast imaging specialists every year
• Provide around 13,000 additional breast screening appointments annually
• Introduce the North West’s first contrast mammography machine, helping improve the detection of breast cancer—particularly in younger women with dense breast tissue.

The advanced technology is expected to improve diagnostic accuracy while helping reduce waiting times for patients.

“It Will Help the Whole Country”

Reflecting on the achievement, Sally described the opening as the result of years of determination from hundreds of supporters.

“This has been years in the making and we’re just so proud to have this wonderful building in Manchester,” she said.

“It will help the whole country, training specialists who will go on and work all over.”

She also paid tribute to everyone who donated, organised fundraising events or supported the campaign over the years.

“This centre is just so, so important,” she said.

“All the people that have been fundraising—they’re very, very special. It’s thanks to them that we are finally opening the doors.”

For Sally Dynevor, the opening of the National Breast Imaging Academy is more than a medical milestone. It is proof that one person’s cancer journey can inspire a project that may help save countless lives for generations to come.