Seasons greetings from Prostate Scotland

Thank you for your continuous support of Prostate Scotland. We’d like to let you know of the progress we have made in our work and about our plans to further our work in the coming year.

This has been a significant year in terms of prostate awareness – with the topic being higher up the public agenda than before. We have sought to play our part in further increasing awareness through launching a new awareness initiative called ‘Pull Your Finger Out.’ This initiative reached many tens of thousands of people through a special partnership with the Daily Record and many regional papers across Scotland, through social media, and awareness materials in community centres and social clubs.  Following it we have seen a significant increase in demand for information materials and in visits to our website.

We have provided many thousands of people with information about prostate disease and its treatments. We developed the range of information materials by publishing seven new guides and extending the number of hospitals where these materials are now available – with the vast majority of hospitals treating prostate disease in Scotland now stocking them. We have backed up the provision of information through a range of talks and workplace workshops from Thurso to Dumfries.  We have continued our partnership with Rotary Clubs on the Rotary Ride for prostate cancer; and developed our partnership with the Freemasons across Scotland, whose generous support has now reached the mighty figure of £450,000.

In addition, we are pleased to report on a special new project to research into the future treatment and services needs of men with prostate cancer. This has included the taking forward of a national survey, as well as focus groups with men with prostate cancer held in Glasgow, Inverness, the Lothians, Tayside and the Western Isles.

We also launched a special Fellowship Scheme to support the training of future surgeons in Scotland in robotically assisted prostate cancer surgery.

Our hard working supporters have continued to make an amazing difference through donating and volunteering, as well as cycling, singing, running, kiltwalking, munro bagging, dancing, music making, baking and hosting social events, raising generous funds in aid of Prostate Scotland. Many have completed great personal challenges while raising awareness of prostate health.

During 2019, our focus will be on: taking our Scotland wide research project into patient treatments and future service needs further forward; further developing our Pull Your finger Out awareness initiative to reach out to even more men and their families; continuing our successful awareness initiatives in the workplace and last but not least taking forward our information and advice work to ensure that even more men and their families can benefit and receive support.

We very much appreciate your support of Prostate Scotland and would like to wish you all the very best for the festive season and for the New Year.

Six ways to support Prostate Scotland this festive season