Our Supporters
31 Dec 20192019 in 12 big moments
Thanks to you, 2019 was a phenomenal year for prostate cancer research breakthroughs. And with 15,356 contacts to our Specialist Nurses it was also the biggest ever year for our support services too.
This year you've helped support more men than ever and funded breakthroughs that will save and lengthen many lives now and in the future. Here's a look back at a phenomenal 12 months.
January kicked off a year of big developments at our Research Innovation Awards. We awarded over £3 million to eight different teams of UK scientists, all tackling prostate cancer from new angles, including a cancer-killing virus. This funding pushed our total investment in research to a staggering £50 million since 1993.
February saw our Deputy Director Of Research Matthew Hobbs go to the world’s biggest meeting of clinicians and scientists focused on improving care for genitourinary cancers, the ASCO GU conference. Matt wrote about the most exciting developments to deliver quicker, stronger, personalised and targeted treatments for prostate cancer.
In March we welcomed our new Research Director, Dr David Montgomery, who brings a breadth of experience from the world of pharmaceuticals and medicine to help us tackle some of the biggest issues facing men.
Northern Ireland's Department of Health confirmed it will develop a cancer strategy for the country back in March, a huge success for Northern Irish men and something we'd worked hard at to bring to the table.
April saw very promising results from a large-scale genetic analysis, the biggest of its kind, studying men's genetic codes to shed new light on the family risk associated with prostate cancer. Understanding how a man’s genes affect his risk of getting aggressive prostate cancer could play a crucial role in reducing the number of deaths from this disease.
'Men, we are with you', was the big message we sent to the nation in May as we launched ads on TV and online celebrating the all the brilliant, silly, caring, selfless things men do that make them great.
In June our flagship March for Men launched in three new cities, bringing thousands together in 10 locations across the country. On Father’s Day, EastEnders star Davood Ghadami shared his story of how presenting an award to one of our volunteers, Errol McKellar, helped his dad to get his prostate cancer diagnosed early.
A sea of blue Prostate Cancer UK volunteers, supporters and staff joined London's Pride parade for the first time in July. More than 50 of us marched to show our support for the cause and raise awareness of prostate cancer in the LGBTQ+ community.
We’re proud to be at #NottingHillCarnival 🎊 this #BankHoliday raising awareness of the increased risk of prostate cancer in black men 💙
— Prostate Cancer UK (@ProstateUK) 23 August 2019
Keep your eyes peeled for our video on the big screens 👀 pic.twitter.com/b9xHRDQp1F
Then carrying on the party, in August we featured at Notting Hill Carnival!
And September saw another loud and proud march as Jeff Stelling's March For Men broke through the £1million fundraising milestone in cities across the UK.
In October, Vinnie Jones joined the fight against prostate cancer as the Vanarama National League became MANarama, with over a month of activity in football clubs across the country.
A world-record was broken in November in support of prostate cancer research, as Nick Butter finished his epic marathon-in-every-country challenge with his 196th marathon in Athens. He crossed the finish line with his main inspiration and one of our most dedicated supporters, Kevin Webber.
Everyone's favourite soap star Dean Sullivan (known to you as Brookside's Jimmy Corkhill) told the world his powerful prostate cancer story with frank humour and in December was the special guest at our magical Carol concert in Liverpool.
Thank you for your time, energy and determination. Here's to an equally action-packed 2020!