Isle of Wight Portsmouth Football Club supporters have donated £1,000 to the Isle of Wight Prostate Cancer Support Group which regularly organises testing for men on the Island.
The group raised the funds in a series of charity race nights organised by Laurence Mathews, who came up with the idea of the donation after his friend, Dave Russell, revealed he had been diagnosed with the condition and was facing surgery.
Dave, who’s the former Isle of Wight Reporter for ITV News, had been testing for Prostate Cancer for 11 years after his brother died from it, and also his father 25 years earlier. He went public in a video just hours after surgery appealing for friends and colleagues to get tested
Alan Taylor from the charity, says it’s so crucial for men to get checked:
“Donations like this are really important as around 12% of men tested on the Island by the charity show signs of Prostate Cancer. In the UK a man dies every 45 minutes from a condition, which is very treatable if caught early enough.”
Chris Hougham, Chairman of The Island’s Pompey Supporters said:
“To promote Portsmouth FC here on the Island we hold various fundraising events and this enables us to make a sizable donation every year to a local charity. The nomination for the local Prostate group was a very popular choice and we hope the cash will go a long way to help them in the great work they are doing.”
If you would like to contact or make a donation to the Isle of Wight Prostate Support Group charity their website is: https://www.iwpcsg.org/
