Prostate cancer focus for pubs during World Cup

1 hour ago

Andrew DawkinsWest Midlands

News image — Michelle Wood, landlady at The Gospel Oak in Tipton, is pictured with firefighter Lee Poole, who helped to reopen the pub

Marston's A man with short hair on the left is wearing a black top and standing next to a woman with brown and blonde hair who is wearing red. They are standing behind the bar and bottles are on shelves in the background. — Michelle Wood, landlady at The Gospel Oak in Tipton, is pictured with firefighter Lee Poole, who helped to reopen the pub

Dozens of pubs across the Black Country in the West Midlands are fundraising and raising awareness of prostate cancer during the World Cup, pub firm Marston's says.

Their Know The Score initiative aims to get customers checking their risk of the disease in 30 seconds via Prostate Cancer UK's online tool.

Pubs from Wolverhampton and the wider West Midlands were organising "everything from charity quizzes to sponsored walks and bike rides", a spokesperson for the company added.

The campaign, which began this week as it is Men's Health Week, aims to raise £100,000 in the UK for the cancer charity this summer.

Across the West Midlands, more than 4,500 men were currently living with prostate cancer, Marston's spokesperson said.

Sixty-four pubs in Wolverhampton and the wider Black Country were fundraising, they added.

Marston's A man is holding a beer mat in one hand and a mobile phone in the other above a table with alcohol on it. Part of the side of his head, including a beard, is visible. — The campaign will encourage customers to check their risk in 30 seconds, Marston's said

The landlady at The Gospel Oak in Tipton, Michelle Wood, stated there was "an atmosphere that helps conversations flow, whether it's over a quiet pint or during the World Cup".

The landlady said over the summer they would run a mix of charity activities, "from quizzes to special events, to raise money and awareness", but "just as importantly, we want to get people talking".

"If we can use those moments at the bar to encourage even a few more men to have honest conversations about their health, then we're doing something worthwhile," she added.

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