In partnership with the Bob Willis Fund, our monthly staff briefing held on Monday, November 18th, focused on the importance of raising awareness of prostate cancer. We were joined by Katie Willis, and Dr. Jyoti Shah MBE to talk about the topic.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK. One in eight men will develop prostate cancer, and this increases to one in four for black men.
We want to play our part in raising awareness about the risk of prostate cancer among men, particularly those from the British Caribbean Community.
As part of the awareness session, we offered cricketeers, Warwickshire seniors, and internal staff the opportunity to undergo a PSA test on-site with Dr. Jyoti Shah MBE and her nursing team. This initiative was generously funded by The Bob Willis Fund which saw 57 men get tested at Edgbaston.
A cricketer who was tested said “Thank you for organising this, it is great to have initiatives like this being offered to the community and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I had been putting off booking in a PSA test for a while but after hearing the recent news of Sir Chris Hoy’s diagnosis, it felt very apt to book an appointment in. Everybody was so helpful and professional”
The charity was set up in memory of the late Bob Willis, a former captain of Warwickshire and a fast bowler. It aims to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer research, supporting and promoting earlier and more reliable diagnoses of prostate cancer.
The Warwickshire Cricket Foundation has worked with The Bob Willis Fund on several events this year to raise awareness about prostate cancer.
Richard Evans, Club Development Officer, worked with the Bob Willis Fund to organise the testing, and said: “The whole day was a brilliant collaboration between the Warwickshire Cricket Foundation, Bob Willis Fund, and Dr. Jyoti Shah and her team.”
It is an important message to get out to men and to try and ensure that as many get tested as possible. An early diagnosis of prostate cancer can make all the difference and significantly raises the prospect of successful treatment.”
We would like to express our gratitude to The Bob Willis Fund and Dr. Jyoti Shah MBE. You can learn more about The Bob Willis Fund by clicking here.