About Us.

Prostate Cancer Support (PCS) is based on an original charity – Prostate Cancer Support (North West) that was established some 20 years ago. 

Our reason for setting up a new charity is simple:  any trustee of the old charity was financially liable if there were any problems and as a consequence we struggled to find people to take on the role. 

The new charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), the main benefits of which are that the charity has ‘legal personality’ and in the event of insolvency its members have limited liability.

As a consequence of this new set-up the charity now has several active trustees, ambassadors and volunteers.

Our objective:

To build Prostate Cancer Support as a true, patient led charity whilst giving men sufficient information about prostate cancer to enable them to make an informed decision about PSA testing, the treatments available, their potential impact and the way forward.

In simple terms we endeavour to be seen as ‘Prostate Cancer Support in the Community’.

Operating costs

We operate out of a tiny office in Stockport and our only paid staff is a super lady who has worked for us for 20 years and does 3 hours a week at the minimum wage (her decision) to cover our administration and helpline handover.  Total annual overheads: <£5k p.a. – and we intend to keep it that way.

So, unlike many other charities, no huge HQ or staff paid large salaries, we are run by unpaid volunteers who as a norm pay their own expenses and we intend to keep it that way. 

What we do and where we are going

As a charity, we do not see ourselves competing with other charities, but being complimentary, and with this in mind have set ourselves 5 key objectives:

Supporting the support groups

We support various support groups, mainly in the North West but extending to the North East and Southern England.  We have new banners for their awareness stands and an up-to-date ‘Z’ style card which details the current, positive view on PSA testing.  We underpin the cost of PSA testing in deprived areas and offer this financial support to the support groups.

The Helpline

When a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer he is often offered little help through normal channels. 

We run a 0900 – 2100 every day (365) helpline manned by prostate cancer patients.

With the ‘helpline’ having had prostate cancer, they are able to relate directly to the man (or his partner) on the phone.

We find this an invaluable service.

Prostate Cancer Testing

 We facilitate prostate cancer testing events, working very closely with The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust (GFCT) https://psatests.org.uk/ who do all our testing for us.  They are highly professional and the phlebotomists are all highly experienced.

It is a fact that the incidence of death from prostate cancer is significantly higher in deprived areas rather than the more affluent areas.  Whereas, every man over 50 is legally entitled to a PSA test from their GP, for a variety of reasons, this can often be challenging to obtain.

The trustees are very much of the mindset that charities should not have large sums of money in their bank accounts but should spend it on ‘doing charitable things’.

In line with this basic principle, one of the things we want to do is carry out PSA testing in deprived areas – where on average the prostate cancer mortality rate is 14% higher than the norm.

To a family living in a deprived area the cost of £25 a test is a barrier.  To remove this, we underpin the cost to reduce it to £5 in order to stimulate demand.  In the events where we have done this in the past it has been highly successful.

We recently did an event at Warrington Wolves Rugby League Club which was a major success, testing 246 men and which was televised on BBC.

Awareness Events

We do awareness events comprising talks and awareness stands collaborating with other charities such as Answer Cancer and attending events such as motor car shows.  We make no charge for such events.  Some talks are carried out in person, others are done using Microsoft Teams or Zoom.  To date we have carried out over 500 individual talks and facilitated a large number of awareness stands.

One of our trustees, Chris Perry, does a fantastic job using his platform as an entertainer to spread the knowledge about prostate cancer.

Treatment Information

When most men are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, they are given very little information about potential treatments, many not given any alternatives, just offering treatments that may suit the hospital nominated for their treatment. 

In addition to this, few are given any information about the treatment they are facing, its challenges (possibly ED and incontinence), how they can prepare, exercise, diet, aftercare, places where help can be given and so on.

So, we will be working with others to fill the gaps.  Within the next few months we will be putting together a schedule of videos and webinars that will be available to all support groups. 

Again, these will be produced at no cost to PCS.

Ambassadors

This year three new ambassadors have joined us:

Andrew Murray, a professional golfer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Murray_(golfer): who as well as helping us with funding will use his contacts to help us access more golf clubs for testing.

Eddie Hemmings, who until he retired in 2019 was the iconic front man for SKY TV rugby league https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Hemmings_(rugby_league).  Following on from our success with PSA testing at Warrington Wolves, Burtonwood and Halton Farnworth Hornets, Eddie will, through his contacts, help us to access more rugby league clubs to promote testing.

Wendy Morris

Wendy works tirelessly in raising funds for the charity.  One recent success was when she ‘painted Heald Green Blue’ to generate greater awareness of prostate cancer and generate funds for the charity.

Chris Perry – Support Group Ambassador – at no cost to PCS

Chris is already one of our trustees, and makes a significant contribution, both in terms of promoting awareness and financially, through his performances as a Phil Collins Tribute Act. 

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8LllYQ7n3c for a snapshot of Chris’s act.

Chris will be devoting a day a week, at no cost to PCS, to promote our activities to the support groups.