South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Urology Department has gratefully received the funds through the STS Charity following the event last October. The charity is run by the Trust to support extras for staff and give patients a better experience during their hospital stay or visit.
Members of the Fans Museum and supporters of the walk with representatives of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Urology Department with the cheque to the STS Charity.
Members of the team joined football fans for the six-mile walk, which took supporters from the Fans Museum in North Bridge Street in Sunderland to Minchella Ice Cream Parlour in Whitburn.
Among them was Sunderland AFC legends Gary Bennett and Mick Harford, who have been treated following their own prostate cancer diagnosis.
Michael Ganley, who founded the Fans Museum, led the event as part of its ongoing work to raise awareness of the disease. The museum runs a host of projects to support people’s wellbeing, health and education.
Stuart McCracken, the Trust’s Clinical Director for Urology said: “This is an outstanding effort and we are delighted to receive such a generous donation to our STS Charity.
“This does fantastic work to support our colleagues, but also helps patients have a better experience when they come to us for care. This cash will be used by our team for just that.
“As a department, we are very proud to say we are one of the best in the country.
“We’re always looking at how to use new treatments and improve the lives and wellbeing of those we care for.
“In addition to raising welcome funds, this walk and all the conversations around it help people think about getting checked out if they have symptoms and that is vital in making sure diseases such as prostate cancer are found as early as possible.”
The walk was inspired by Ron’s Marches, which have been set up by Luton Town fan Ron Hedley. Ron, who lives in Buckinghamshire, also has the disease and has already raised more than £50,000 for the cause.
Michael said: “In addition to the money raised and the work it will support, it’s so important we increase awareness and get men to talk and to have those conversations.
“We have people asking us for prostate cancer badges all the time, which is amazing, and they want to wear it, maybe not because they’ve had their own diagnosis, but because they want to show their support and get people thinking about it.”
Gary said: “The funds are very important to the Trust to help support the work which they do.
“The event means a lot to me and the people to raise awareness and makes them aware of the support from the Trust.”
Maureen Summerill is the sister of Mick Harford gathered for the presentation of the funds alongside her husband Geoff.
She said: “The money is important, but for my brother, it’s about raising awareness.
“He’s said to me that he’ll never forget that when he was at Luton Town’s ground and in front of 10,000 people, he decided to tell them about his diagnosis.
“Putting it in the public domain helped people think about going to see someone if they thought they had prostate cancer and that’s so important.
“On more than one occasion people have gone up to him and said, ‘You saved my life’ and that’s just so humbling.”
In addition to the funds raised for the STS Charity, another £1,000 has been donated to the Bob Willis Fund, a charity set up in the name of a Sunderland-born cricketer who died of the disease in 2019.
To find out more about the STS Charity, visit its page of the Trust’s website here.
For information about prostate cancer, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and living with the disease, visit the NHS website here.
Details about the work and events run by the Fans Museum can be found through its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FansMuseum
