A perfect finish! The BIGGER 180 tops £1 million to support our TRANSFORM trial

More than 900 maximums. Two magical nine-dart legs. And a new name on the Sid Waddell trophy. The World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace has been the most exciting in living memory. 

And the best part? Together we’ve raised more than £1 million to support vital research into prostate cancer. 

At the end of an historic final on Friday night, the curtain also came down on Paddy Power’s record-breaking campaign, The BIGGER 180. 

With 907 180s scored throughout the tournament and two incredible nine-dart finishes from Christian Kist and Damon Heta, the fundraising total stands at an astonishing £1,027,000. That’s £1,000 donated by Paddy Power for each maximum, plus an extra £120,000 for the two perfect legs. 

It means we’ve gone beyond our £1 million target and raised record funds to support our ground-breaking screening trial, TRANSFORM. 

And that’s not all. On top of the fundraising total, The BIGGER 180 has also raised vital awareness of prostate cancer. Over the course of the campaign, more than 143,000 men have visited our website to check their risk and find out what they can do next. 

Littler, 17, makes history as youngest ever champion

It was a fairytale ending to the tournament for teenage sensation Luke Littler, who held off three-time champion Michael van Gerwen to lift the Sid Waddell trophy for the first time. 

In doing so, he became the youngest ever champion at just 17 years of age – and overcame the disappointment of narrowly losing out in last year’s final to world number one Luke Humphries. 

And he didn’t stop there. On his way to victory, Luke proudly wore our logo on his shirt and fired in an astonishing 76 180s to earn another trophy – the Ballon d’Art, for the man with the most maximums – presented by Olympic legend and The BIGGER 180 ambassador, Sir Chris Hoy. 

“The huge sum being donated will make a big difference to the lives of thousands of men,” said Sir Chris, who revealed his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

“It’s a huge step forward and we're now one big step closer to making a long-lasting and meaningful change to men's health.

“The TRANSFORM trial aims to find the best way to test men for prostate cancer, so we can be sure which is the most effective method for a nationwide screening programme that could save thousands of lives every year. This massive cash injection can have an impact on men's lives for years to come.”

Bullseye! Another big step closer to a screening programme

Last year’s campaign raised £1 million after the world’s best players fired in a record 914 maximums. But this year we’ve gone bigger and better, smashing that total and raising even more towards the grand total. 

As a founding partner of TRANSFORM, Paddy Power’s incredible donation will help us find the best way to diagnose prostate cancer early – when it’s easier to treat – and pave the way to a national screening programme, where every man at risk is invited for regular tests. 

But until we have a screening programme, the biggest lifesaver is making sure every man knows his risk of prostate cancer. And The BIGGER 180 has made a big difference here too. 

Alongside the vital funds to support TRANSFORM, we’ve also raised awareness of the disease across the UK – with a record 143,000 men completing the 30-second Risk Checker on our website. That’s 143,000 men who now know about their risk of the disease and the steps they can take to do something about it. 

Kevin Webber knows better than most why this is so important. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 and given only two years to live. But a decade later, he’s still with us and loving each day.

“I can’t tell you how much The BIGGER 180 means to me,” said Kevin. “The continued support from Paddy Power and the players who I’ve chatted to about the Risk Checker has blown me away. They all really are helping to save lives though darts.”   

Every maximum has helped power us past the £1 million mark

Chiara De Biase, our Director of Health Services, Equity & Improvement, said: “Every 180 thrown, every cheer from fans and every pound raised has brought us closer to a future where all men can be screened for prostate cancer.

“With £1,027,000 raised and thousands of men taking our online Risk Checker, this campaign has delivered a remarkable impact. 

“As well as the sensational fundraising, we're proud that more than 143,000 men have completed our online Risk Checker - making this a truly life-changing campaign.” 

Check your risk today - it only takes 30 seconds

There’s one more thing you can do to get behind The BIGGER 180. And it’ll only take 30 seconds of your time.  

Check your risk of prostate cancer today. And if you’ve done it already, talk to the men in your life and ask them to check theirs too. 

CHECK YOUR RISK