One of the many great joys of my role is composing the monthly e-bulletin, a message sent out to thousands of Prostate Project supporters, with details of what’s new, what’s on, and what’s happening at the charity.

You might think that finding something different to say each month would be difficult, but nothing could be further from the truth. Take this month for example, the e-bulletin has news about among other things the Man Van, new developments at Frimley Park and Royal Surrey Hospital, our fabulous Support Group, two amazing Golf Days, a personal achievement by one of our specialist nursing team…and Drag Bingo.

There is always so much going on, the only difficulty is knowing when to stop writing.

With regard to the Man Van I have to say once again, thank you to everyone involved in raising the £200,000+ needed to get this remarkable vehicle on the road.

Of course, I will point to the ‘headline’ players, artists like Paul Jones and his Friends that raised so much money and awareness, my predecessor Alf for driving the effort from the beginning, and Prostate Project Secretary, Katherine for her tireless work throughout.

But I also pay tribute to our remarkable sponsors, individual supporters and every person that has helped…thank you, thank you, thank you.

So what next?

Well, before I move onto that, I would like to say that while fundraising has apparently been focused on the Man Van, the day to day business of the Prostate Project has been continuing. Your donations support our research teams, and enable us to make significant purchases, such as the recently acquired EchoLaser, at The Royal Surrey Hospital.

What happens next will, as always be dictated by our clinicians, and researchers, they will tell us what they need, and how much it will cost.

It is then our job to make sure that they get what they need. It really is as simple as that.

We have been fishing, we have mended our nets, and now we are ready to set sail once again, securing funds, raising awareness and giving men a better chance of surviving prostate cancer.

The future is bright for the Prostate Project, and I am confident that with the continued help and support that you so generously provide we will be supporting the NHS, our clinicians, and research teams in every possible way for many years to come.

Martin

May 2024