Thousands more men in Wales will be supported by Prostate Cymru thanks to a new purpose-built vehicle supplied from South Wales Freemasons.
This custom-made £120,000 exhibition van will bolster the awareness programme further and become a welcome sight at community locations across the country, providing men with an opportunity to grow their understanding of prostate disease and speak to experts about any concerns.
The new vehicle, was presented to Prostate Cymru by the Provincial Grand Master, Gerald Rowbottom on behalf of South Wales Freemasons, comes through the Masonic Benevolent Fund of South Wales following an exceptional donation from Freemason David Swain of the Brecknock Lodge.
The Masonic Benevolent Fund is supported entirely by Freemasons from across the Province of South Wales.
The Awareness Van will be making its inaugural visit at the Ogi Porthcawl 10k on the 1st July, encouraging supporters, volunteers and runners to have a chat with the team.
It will be also be at The Royal Welsh in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells at the end of July, as well as being hosted by various businesses and supermarkets across Wales.
The schedule for the van will be released in the coming month, so keep an eye out on Prostate Cymru socials to see when we will be near you!
This project has taken months of planning from the MBF team and we are very proud that the production of the vehicle was carried out entirely by companies from South Wales.
Chief Executive of the Prostate Cymru, Tina Tew, said:
“We’re extremally grateful to South Wales Freemasons for their significant gift of a new vehicle. Our charity has no national or government funding and the work we do is only possible with the support of external fundraisers and supporters.
Science tells us that if caught early, prostate cancer is highly treatable. This new awareness vehicle will enable us to expand our engagement, which will result in more men understanding the risks, speaking to their GPs and therefore generally improving early diagnosis rates. Ultimately, this project is going to save lives.
Through their generosity, the South Wales Freemasons have made a vital contribution not only to our charity, but to men’s health in Wales as a whole.
Gerald Rowbottom from South Wales Freemasons, said, “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to support Prostate Cymru. 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. We are delighted to provide this vehicle to support the tremendous work which Prostate Cymru are completing in Wales.”
Prostate Cymru is the leading prostate health charity in Wales supporting men with benign prostate disease and prostate cancer.
One of our key objectives is raising awareness about prostate cancer and prostate diseases, educating men in Wales about their risk and potential symptoms to look out for.
Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men in Wales and the risk increases to 1 in 3 if there is a family history of the disease.
Every 45 minutes a man in the UK dies of prostate cancer and we hope that our ever-growing awareness programme, will help challenge these statistics.