Objectives To assess knowledge of Bowel Cancer Awareness Week (BCAW) amongst patients attending their general practice surgery and to identify whether BCAW could increase knowledge of colorectal cancer symptoms. Method Questionnaire study with ethics committee approval. Patients attending non-emergency clinics in a single general practice during the week following BCAW were given a questionnaire. Respondents were asked for knowledge of colorectal cancer symptoms, sources of this information and awareness of BCAW compared to similar knowledge of breast cancer. Results Seventy-seven patients responded (96% response rate, median age 42, 40% male). Eighty-five percent could name a breast cancer symptom compared to only 44% who could name a colorectal cancer symptom (McNemar's χ2, P