Welcome to our Monthly Briefing for October. This briefing is for you as a group leader/organiser of one of our network of Peer Support Groups. We hope you find the content useful. The Hot Topics section below contains information that your members will find useful; if you are able, please share it with them.

This month we are extremely pleased and proud to introduce Mark Kelly our new Peer Support Coordinator. Mark beat a field of around 70 applicants and will be a huge asset to our growing team. As I write this , Mark is coming to the end of his second week at Tackle Prostate Cancer. Mark lives in Otley, Leeds with his family, and in the past was a PCSO for many years. Recently he has been volunteering for a Men’s Mental health charity. In his spare time, he engages in training and competes in Strongman events, Mark will be reaching out to you all over the next few months and hopes to get to meet many of you by visiting groups across the country. If you would like to reach out to him in the meantime and welcome him into our federation, then you can contact him at [email protected]

In other news this month, Aidan has delivered another Peer Coaching 2 day workshop, this time in Huddersfield. If you are interested in hearing more about this or you group , then please get in touch with us. Aidan has also been busy across the Midlands delivering several awareness events. Tony, has delivered talks about his diagnosis and how running has helped him along his journey to group in Salford and Worcestershire. Meanwhile, Roshani, Ken, and Steve have attended several round table events discussing the need to improve early diagnosis and the urgent need for a national screening programme.

Looking ahead, I am off to Plymouth next week, to meet up with six of our groups from across Devon and Cornwall. Bringing Group Leaders and Group Organisers together to network, share ideas and look at opportunities for collaboration, all aimed at ensuring we enable groups to reach more people living with and impacted by Prostate Cancer. I am working to support some new groups, as well as continuing to support existing groups.

Finally, when we’re out and about, chatting with group leaders, one common question arises: “How can we bring more members to our support groups?” We’re embarking on a 12-month project designed to magnify the advantages of peer support groups, and we could use your support. Our common goal is to make these benefits accessible to as many individuals as possible, particularly younger people and those who haven’t yet engaged with local support groups.

In our project called ‘Lets talk About It’, we’re committed to celebrating the incredible work you do and the positive impact it has on people’s lives. But we can’t do it alone. We need your assistance in providing user generated content, whether it’s your videos or stories from you and your group members , we need content that showcase the real benefits people have experienced by joining peer support groups. Your contribution will be invaluable in spreading the word and encouraging more individuals to engage with these support groups.

Molly is heading up this project and you can read more information below.

October Hot Topics

You will find this months Hot Topics by clicking here. Included are links to the presentation from Tony , our Trustee, ‘Running into Prostate Cancer’. You will also find webinars on Prostate Cancer and your Sex Life, as well as an invitation to a research webinar from PCUK .
Please share the content directly with your group members.