MP joins charity bag-pack for prostate cancer

On Friday, March 11, the charity bag-pack raised more than £1,400 towards its £1.6million goal in addition to a £25,000 donation from Morrisons to buy a state of the art robot for the Urology Centre at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

Ian Jukes, chairman of the Rory appeal, said: “We’re anxious to get everybody to run their own fundraising events because any amount donated really does help with the appeal. Everyone has been so generous and so charitable and we’ve also been raising awareness of prostate cancer at the same time.”

The robotic system allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery to remove the prostate gland and is potentially the most effective and least invasive surgical approach to prostate cancer treatment available today.

Mr Jukes continued: “People we have spoken to have fathers and husbands who have suffered from prostate cancer and people really open up their hearts to us when we’re out doing this. I know personally what they have been through because I have had prostate cancer but men just don’t talk about it.”

The Bromsgrove launch on Friday saw David Scott, head of planning and corporate affairs at Morrisons, present Adel Makar, consultant urologist at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, with a cheque for £25,000 towards the equipment for the hospital’s urology department.

Mr Javid said: “The Rory the Robot Appeal is a fantastic initiative that brings a whole community together to help fight a major disease. No matter how much has already been done, there is always more to do for such a great cause.”

Around 500 men in Worcestershire are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, most of whom are aged 50 or over.

So far the Rory the Robot appeal has raised £170,000 through bag-packing events which are taking place at Morrisons supermarkets across Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

For more information visit worcsacute.nhs.uk.