Swinney ‘thinking warmly’ of late MSP Christina McKelvie at Wear It Pink event

John Swinney said he was “thinking warmly” of the late MSP Christina McKelvie as he took part in an event to raise awareness of breast cancer.

Mr Swinney said Ms McKelvie, a Scottish Government minister who died in March after battling the disease, had been an “absolute champion” of the Wear It Pink campaign.

She stepped down from her ministerial duties last year after it was confirmed she had secondary breast cancer – when the disease spreads to other parts of the body.

She had been a strong supporter of the Wear It Pink campaign organised by charity Breast Cancer Now, which is now in its 24th year.

Since the campaign began in 2001, it has raised more than £43 million to fund research into the disease.

This year’s Wear It Pink campaign aims to raise awareness of secondary – or metastatic – breast cancer.

Two women who have the condition, Jen Hardy and Alison Tait, were at Holyrood on Thursday ahead of the main Wear It Pink event on October 24 to tell MSPs about their experience.

First Minister Mr Swinney said of Ms McKelvie: “She was an absolute champion of the Wear It Pink campaign.

“She brought fun and vitality to that campaign, as to everything else that she brought to Parliament, and as we all become involved in Wear It Pink today, we’ll be reflecting and thinking very warmly of a colleague that we lost and who we dearly loved and we dearly miss.”

Claire Rowney, chief executive of Breast Cancer Now, said Ms McKelvie’s death made this year’s event “especially poignant”.

She said: “We’re so grateful to MSPs from across Scotland for supporting our Wear It Pink event.

“Together, we must continue to raise awareness and improve support for people affected by breast cancer.

“This year’s Wear It Pink feels especially poignant as we remember Christina McKelvie MSP, who championed secondary breast cancer patients and the need for them to be counted.

“Now, we urgently need to collect more data on those living with incurable secondary breast cancer in Scotland to make sure that everyone affected gets the care, treatment and support they deserve.”

With Wear It Pink taking place on Friday October 24, she said all those supporting the campaign will help “fund vital research and support services so that, by 2050, everyone with breast cancer will live and live well”.