London Golf Club in Kent is playing a leading role in golf’s drive to beat cancer after forming a new charity partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, to help beat a disease affecting one-in -eight men in the UK.
The Ash-based club has announced a calendar of events over the next 12 months to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men and raise funds for ground-breaking research to deliver a national prostate cancer screening programme and save men’s lives.
In addition to hosting a series of fund-raising events between now and next September including a charity golf day and Prostate Cancer UK’s 36-hole Big Golf Race, London Golf Club will promote the charity to members and guests in a number of other ways across its facilities – including donation tins in the golf shop, reception and Spike Bar, staff wearing Prostate Cancer UK’s iconic ‘Man of Men’ badges as part of their uniform and a special charity dish on the menu.
As well as having opportunities to donate and fundraise, London Golf Club members and visitors as will be encouraged to find out more about their prostate cancer risk, a disease so prevalent in the golf community considering men at greatest risk are men over 50, black men and men with a family history of the disease.
London Golf Club’s chief executive, Stephen Follett, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have formed this new partnership and to be working with Prostate Cancer UK over the next 12 months. Prostate cancer affects the lives of so many men and their families, and I would encourage all our members and visitors to support the charity in any way they can so that we can help to beat this dreadful disease.”
London Golf Club head professional Paul Stuart added: “As one of the main touch points with every golfer at the London Golf Club, our PGA professionals are delighted to support Prostate Cancer UK in this partnership; further supporting their work with the PGA as well as members and visitors playing golf here; a significant proportion of which are men at risk of prostate cancer.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with around 475,000 living with and after the disease.
Nicola Tallett, director of fundraising and supporter engagement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted to partner with the London Golf Club and look forward to an exciting 12 months on and off the course. Golf is so influential in raising the profile of prostate cancer – a disease which exists in every golf club, affecting one in eight men in the UK. We’re proud the London Golf Club are committed to helping us beat prostate cancer by hosting a charity golf day, and by getting their staff and membership networks to show their support by taking on our Big Golf Race – 36 holes of golf in one day. This partnership will mean more golfers understand their risk of prostate cancer; and we’ll work with everyone at the club to help fund ground-breaking research to help deliver a national prostate cancer screening programme.”
Golfers wanting to find out more about their risk of prostate cancer straightaway can use Prostate Cancer UK’s 30-second online risk checker available at prostatecanceruk.org.