Our old friends at the Manchester based station have made us the official partners for their birthday celebrations on Saturday 5th May.

Mockfest II: Donisphere returns to Castlefield for a day of live rock music and family fun and Men Matter volunteers will be at the day-long festival heading up the Guitar Hero competition tent.  We’ll be challenging festival-goers to compete against one another all day for a chance to win an electric guitar!  We also have a raffle featuring some top motorbike racing memorabilia and a Kawasaki ZX10r Quatro race bike on display courtesy of Robinsons of Rochdale.

On Sunday 6th May, (complete with a hangover we’re sure) the Real Radio XS DJ’s are taking part in the Salford Dragon Boat Race!  The annual race, across the waters from Real Radio XS HQ, at Salford Quays will see teams battle it out all day in qualifying heats to race in the final and be crowned champions.  Teams from all walks of life will be entering to raise money for their nominated charities, in Real Radio XS’s case, us!  You can sponsor the team via their JustGiving page or why not come along and cheer them on?  We promise the weather won’t be as bad as this weekend!

On 20th June the students will construct the ring with various types of donated (clean we must stress!) mens’ underwear.  From boxers to y-fronts, the pants will be strung from a washing-line which will encircle the college.  Students will gain sponsorship for how may briefs they can collect.  To support their efforts the students will also be holding a bucket collection on the same day in the immediate school vicinity.  Prior to this there will also be a Fun Run in Mains Park on 23rd May.

College lecturer Jean Potts was inspired by a report she heard on the radio about the high percentage of male cancers in the North West and how little funding the region receives.  She said, “After hearing the radio report it prompted me to engage the students I work with to get involved in fundraising for this very important cause.  The students emailed The Christie for a fundraising pack, and we are in the process of organising a number of events to raise money for Men Matter Appeal.”

We wish Jean and her students lots of luck and look forward to supporting them on the day in their efforts.

If you know of any clothing outlets that may wish to donate pants to the event please ask them to email contact@menmatterappeal.com

Tom suffered with prostate cancer some years ago and is now clear of the disease but the subject is still an issue close to Tom and Brenda’s hearts.

The couple have led a fruitful life since marrying in 1962.  They moved to Australia 1966, where they coped with a robbery, an attempt to ram Tom over a cliff by six drunken Yugoslavs (!), and a 60 mile life or death struggle at 7000ft in a blizzard, travelling to Tom’s place of work on the Snowey Mountain Hydro Electric Dams!  They came home 4yrs later, but not before circumnavigating the world.  They called at New Zealand, Tahiti, Panama Canal, where they ran aground 3 times (the other ships were none to pleased!), crossed the Atlantic to Lisbon, Portugal, then home.

Back in England Brenda started work as a Sheltered Accommodation Manager.  Tom returned to the construction industry as a Plant Mechanic and worked his way into a management role, until breaking his neck in an accident.  Tom was told he’d never walk again and was also diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Together Tom and Brenda over came these problems with Tom making a full recovery.

More recently, Brenda used to be part of a singing group entertaining old folk and Tom played the organ for the group for 4yrs, until they both retired.

Celebrating their Golden Wedding on 3rd March 2012, the couple are still as in love as ever, awww!

We wish them all the best and thank them once again for their support and generosity.

In conjunction with Wythenshawe Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support, the talks will be held at various locations in Wythenshawe and Manchester to teach men about the importance of self-checking and the signs to look out for.  Robin understands men can switch off when it comes to their health and particulary anything in the trouser department but these talks aren’t designed to be over bearing or threatening, just simple sound advice about how to look after yourself.

If you, a male relative, friend or colleague might benefit from attending one of the talks please download the Prostate Health flyer.

• The Zion Community Resource Centre, 339 Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester M15 4ZY. 23^rd March, 1-2:30pm.
• The Lesbian and Gay Foundation, Group Room, 5 Richmond Street, Manchester, M1 3HF. 29^th March, 2-3:30pm.
• Wythenshawe Forum Library, Macmillan Room, Forum Sq, Wythenshawe, M22 5RX. 2^nd April, 2-3:30pm.

For more information please call 0161 291 4876

With many men in the North West dying from the disease (it is still one of the biggest killers of men), we are seeking to overcome the natural barrier many men have towards self-examination and visiting their GP.

Women regularly examine themselves but the vast majority of men still take a “head-in-the-sand” approach to male cancers.

The 3 simple steps highlighted  in our new leaflet provide basic  information about self-checking for the 3 male cancers- prostate, testicular and penile. The leaflet aims to provide a simple guide to “what to do next “.

Our appeal also organises lectures for groups and businesses seeking to educate and look after their own personnel. We  feel that by talking to men about the benefits of early diagnosis and the very high success rates with treatment at an early stage, we can save lives in the region. Organisations interested in having such a presentation are encouraged to contact us via our contact page.

Men Matter will feature on Inside Out North West on Monday 13th February 2012 at 7:30pm.

The 10 minute feature will discuss the North/South divide with relation to male cancer funding, follows the journey of a current patient at The Christie and that of Bernard Edmunds, our chairman and how he came to set up Men Matter.  There are interviews with Professor Noel Clarke, Consultant Urological Surgeon at The Christie and Salford Royal, footage of our volunteers campaigning on the streets of Manchester and a section featuring some of the Lancashire County Cricket Club players and their coach Peter Moores discussing the issue of male health awareness and what can be done to tackle it.

It’s hoped that the high profile exposure from the BBC will attract some new interest in the appeal whether it’s those looking for help and advice, new volunteers or people wanting to fundraise or put on an event on our behalf.

Tune into BBC One at 7:30pm on Monday 13th February 2012.

The staff at Vehicle Consulting in Levenshulme raised £170.00 for Men Matter via the raffle of a luxurious Christmas hamper, full of goodies including food and wine.  All the staff put in £5.00 each for a ticket, which was then matched by the boss.  Names were put in a hat and the lucky winner was Office Manager Christine Gibbons.

Many thanks to the team at Vehicle Consulting for their generosity; it’s acts such as this that are vital to our appeal.

If you’re interested  in holding a raffle, dress down day or similar event at your work in the name of Men Matter, please get in touch.  We’ll endeavour to support you in anyway we can; from help with ideas to sponsor forms and t-shirts for all your colleagues to wear.

The popular Manchester Classic Rock stations annual bash was a hit with all who attended and us here at Men Matter HQ too.  The station and their listeners have long supported our appeal and once again they chose to show their commitment by donating funds raised on the day to our cause.

In true rebellious fashion the rockers went off script to put their own spin on the Christmas celebrations….  As you can see from the pictures below, their Santa was an alternative take on the traditional image and he had some ‘naughty’ helpers too.  Pictures with the trio were charged at £5 a-go with all proceeds heading our way.  Revellers also enjoyed live music from the likes of Subhuman Race, Jef Leppard, Boot Led Zep, Ace N Eights and more, as well as performances from pole dancing group The Upside Down Ladies.

The event at Jabez Clegg was a roaring success.  More photo’s can be found on the Real Radio XS Facebook page

Helena and her friend Jessiac Balodis, another Men Matter volunteer, were back-packing in South America when they did the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu.

The girls spent their first night camping in a remote village in a valley up in the mountains.  On the  second night they camped on the borders of the Amazon rainforest after climbing to 4500m which Helena admits was the “hardest thing I’ve ever done!”.

The tired but determined pair reached Machu Picchu on 14th October and donned their Men Matter t-shirts to mark the occasion!  They also climbed up Wayna Picchu which is limited to just 400 people a day.

We’re very proud of the girls efforts and are glad they were inspired to take Men Matter’s fight against male cancers to the other side of the world.  Well done girls!

Karen is a keen runner and took part in the Conwy Half Marathon on Sunday 20th November (that’s a staggering 13.1 miles to us mere mortals).  Not only did she complete the tough course in an impressive 1 hour and 57 minutes but she also raised £408.75 for Men Matter in doing so.

Rumour has it Karen has already signed up to run the Manchester 10k for us in May 2012 too – that should be a walk in the park for her after her latest efforts.

Thanks again Karen and well done!