The South Wales Chamber of Commerce has announced Prostate Cymru as their Charity of the Year for 2018/19.
Prostate Cymru is the leading prostate health charity in Wales, supporting men in Wales with prostate issues such as benign prostate disease and prostate cancer. Founded in 2003, the charity has grown from strength to strength over the last fifteen years.
The charity has no national or government funding and relies on the kindness and generosity of its fundraisers and volunteers to fulfil its core aims of:
• Raising awareness about prostate cancer and prostate diseases, educating men in Wales about the diseases and their risk through free workplace talks and attending community events
• Supporting treatments and improving equipment for prostate diseases. To date they have supported laser treatment for benign prostate disease, funded the training of surgeons and elective studies of medical students specialising in urology
• Funding research and innovation across Wales to ensure that men in Wales suffering with prostate diseases will have access to the best available treatments from the NHS in Wales.
Tina Tew, Chief Executive of Prostate Cymru said:
“We are thrilled to be chosen as the Chamber of Commerce’s Charity of the Year and look forward to working with the organisation across South Wales.
“Prostate Cymru is passionate about supporting Welsh men with prostate issues through education, awareness, medical training and research.
“Benign prostate disease, or enlargement of the prostate, is a very common disease that can cause significant urinary symptoms in men affecting the quality of their lives. Benign prostate disease starts to cause symptoms in middle age and at 80 years of age the majority of men will have this disorder. The charity aims to raise awareness of the symptoms so men can detect when something feels wrong with their urinary system.
“Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Welsh men and the second most common cause of cancer death in UK men after lung cancer. As a Welshman the risk of having prostate cancer is 1 in 8. The risk increases dramatically to 1 in 3 if there is a family history of the disease. Afro-Caribbean men have a 1 in 4 risk of prostate cancer.
“It is anticipated that in the future prostate cancer will be the most commonly diagnosed cancer. This means there is a significant need to redouble efforts to increase awareness, treatments and research. The survival rate is improving but there is still a need to encourage early diagnosis as this can often lead to a more successful treatment. Early stage prostate cancer has very few or no symptoms but is potentially curable at this stage so it is extremely important for men to be proactive and speak about their prostate health every time they visit their doctor.”
Harri Lloyd-Davies, President of the South Wales Chamber of Commerce said:
“Everyone involved with the Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to working with Prostate Cymru over the next year.
“We are already putting plans in place for fundraising activities. A team is being formed to take part in the Big Walk from the Principality Stadium to Bridgend on 30 June, our Charity Golf Day on 4 July will be raising money for Prostate Cymru and we’ll be running Big Breakfasts across South Wales in November. If anyone would like to join us please contact [email protected].
“During the year we will be doing more than fundraising for the charity. Chamber members all employ people who are either at risk of prostate issues themselves or are close to someone who is; a father, brother, uncle, friend and of course colleagues. This is why we’ll be giving helping Prostate Cymru raise awareness of symptoms and encouraging staff in businesses across South Wales to see their doctor and get checked out.”