March 2021
Welcome to our very first monthly briefing newsletter. Each month we will be sending out a communication email to group leads and committee members. The purpose of this briefing will be to give information that help committee members support their members and to ask for feedback, case studies and ideas from them to campaign ensuring your voice and that of your members is front and centre of all our communications. We recognise that some of you already provide monthly updates so we hope you find this informative and you’ll be able to select from what you find relevant.
Highlights include One Cancer Voice news, Our Network Days
Tackle’s letter in The Times calling on the treatment watchdog to reconsider its rejection of Abiraterone. Research news, recent policy developments, upcoming events, and how you can get involved in writing for our magazine Prostate Matters
Helpful info and tips for you and your members
This month Tackle’s Chairman, Ken Mastris along with Angela Culhane, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK and Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of the Institute of Cancer Research had a letter published in The Times calling on the treatment watchdog to reconsider its rejection of Abiraterone, a drug that could extend the lives of 2,500 men each year.
Abiraterone: prostate cancer drug should be approved, say charities
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said in January that it did not plan to authorise Abiraterone for new cases of advanced prostate cancer because it failed cost-effectiveness tests.
Targeted screening for prostate cancer could prevent one in six deaths and significantly reduce over-diagnosis, finds a new UCl-led study
One Cancer Voice
On Wednesday 16th March Tackle joined 46 other cancer charities to tell the governments a united message: we are ready to work with you to help plot a route out of the pandemic, and towards world leading cancer services. With a substantial backlog of cancer tests and treatments, getting cancer services back to pre-pandemic levels is simply not enough. In the last year we’ve seen the power Government can have. Now it’s time for Governments in all 4 nations to put people affected by cancer at the centre of their plans, plot a route out of the pandemic, and towards world leading cancer services #OneCancerVoice
Media coverage was achieved on the BBC and The Times, who also featured a comment piece
Please share this story if you use social media, we want to create as much noise to amplify the story
Orchid one of our partners created a film with our support which highlights what it is like living with prostate cancer and demonstrates the importance of people talking and sharing their experiences. Link to film.
Can you help us?
Siobhan Connor who many of you have met at our AGMs will be taking over our quarterly magazine Prostate Matters so please do share your group news, ideas for articles as she wants to hear from you. Your feedback is vital and we need you to tell us what’s important to you. We are always looking for case studies to help us raise awareness. Please email Siobhan:
editor@tackleprostate.org
Have you got any interesting stories to share on the below?
Can you share your experiences, tips and advice on the following?
June 8 – 14th is Carers Week 2021
we would like to hear from you about the benefits of setting up partners and carer groups
May is National Walking Month
Looking forward, what are your plans once you can walk together? What are the advantages of walking to men’s physical and mental health, as well as how groups enables men to talk about their feeling, issues and any problems regarding prostate cancer , through walking.
June 15 – 21th is Men’s Health Week
We want to hear from you on various elements of how we stay healthy by activities such as walking, cycling etc. Mental and physical health tips, diet and nutrition.
June 1st – 7th is Volunteers’ Week
You are volunteers, we want to hear from you on why you decided to get involved in an organising role as a volunteer, how has this benefitted you as how would you encourage others to take on organising roles, how do you balance your own needs as men living with Prostate Cancer and your members needs.
Please contact: editor@tackleprostate.org
Upcoming Events
Tackle’s AGM will take place digitally in June. We will notify you of the date in April
A Note From Ken, your chairman We hope you find this briefing useful, it will change and adapt over the coming months, please let us know what you think, any give us suggestions for what would be useful. Our aim is to support you to support your group members, so anything we can do to support you in your aims, do let us know. It was really good to see so many of you at our Network Days earlier this month. We had 98 people attend from over 60 groups. Huge thanks go to Sarah, for organising it along with Sue from PCUK. I am sure any of you who attended will agree it was an inspiring event. The videos of the event are all found below. If you plan to replay to your group/committee I would suggest you download for better quality of sound and to reduce lagging.
Aiden Atkins https://youtu.be/Ix8LZ0NZ44Y Gareth https://youtu.be/Q7VBYJXDjv0
Sam Rigby https://youtu.be/Nft3wU475Bo Mhukti https://youtu.be/OHLLRnYDic8Sarah https://youtu.be/V52pzMsrqLg
Sarah is now looking at our next steps, and will be in touch with the next briefing on our plans.
Now, some sad news, many of you will have spoken to Simon Lanyon over the years, he has been with Tackle for the past 8 years and is stepping down today to focus on his retirement and other charitable commitments. We will be doing a feature on the amazing work he has done with us in the next Prostate Matters , but for now, please join with me in wishing him well.
From now on, please direct all queries, comments and questions about any aspect of running your group to Sarah , you can contact her on 07725 083533, or email sarah.gray@tackleprostate.org I wish you all a Happy Easter weekend, lets hope the sun keeps shining and we are finally able to sit in our gardens with some family and friends.
