Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance teams up with local pubs for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

The Cancer Alliance has teamed up with Prostate Cancer UK to create a beermat that will feature in 30 pubs located in areas of Hull and Scunthorpe, areas where people are diagnosed later with prostate cancer than other regions in Humber and North Yorkshire.

The beermat features a QR code that takes customers to Prostate Cancer UK's risk checker, which can check the risk of the disease in 30 seconds.  

The collaboration between Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance and Prostate Cancer UK will make pub-goers in Humber and North Yorkshire more aware of the most common form of cancer for men in the UK and encourage cancer conversations that may make men visit their GP sooner with symptoms.

Rob Sharpe, owner of The Avenue pub in Hull, is more than happy to take part in the campaign, having lost his father to a form of cancer. Rob said: “It’s been great to help the Cancer Alliance with their Prostate Cancer Awareness Month campaign. Men can sometimes find it hard to talk about their bodies, but in the pub with their mates, they might be more receptive to checking the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer.”

In addition to the training, members of the Cancer Alliance have provided barber shops in areas of Humber and North Yorkshire where men are being diagnosed later with prostate cancer with Prostate Cancer UK posters and leaflets, in a bid to make customers more aware of signs and symptoms of the disease.

Prostate cancer is the UK's most common cancer in men and around one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. 

This form of cancer mainly affects men aged 50 and over, and the risk increases with age. If you're a Black man and/or have a family history of prostate cancer, you are at a higher risk than most.

Mark Rogers, urology consultant at Diana, Princess of Wales hospital in Grimsby, is always keen to spread prostate cancer awareness.

He said: “Last year’s tragic news about Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy’s terminal prostate cancer diagnosis sadly proved that men from all walks of life can be affected – even below 50, which is when the risk increases.

“It’s important to know what is normal for you and your body, so you can spot signs of prostate cancer as early as possible. Some of the main symptoms to be aware of are: needing to pee more frequently (often during the night), needing to rush to the toilet, difficulty in starting to pee (or any hesitancy), straining, weak flow, a feeling your bladder hasn’t emptied, or blood in your urine or semen.”

Richard Attack, a 64-year-old former painter and decorator living in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, discovered he had stage four prostate cancer in 2021 after experiencing symptoms

He said: “I noticed I was needing the toilet more often to pee, especially at night. I put it down to getting older, and when I also started with shoulder pain, I thought it might just be from my job.

“After a few months of increasing pain, I Googled it and thought it might be a water infection. When I eventually went to see the doctor, I was told it was prostate cancer, that had spread to my bones. That’s why my shoulder hurt.

“Please, if you notice any changes in your body, don’t put off going to see your GP.”

Visit the Cancer Alliance’s website to find out more about its Prostate Cancer Awareness Month campaign activity.