After much effort by Bristol club's Prostate Cancer Committee, working in conjunction with creative agency "wheeled in" by Bristol Rotarian Matt Anderson, joint MD of Montage
Communications, the committee, whose secretary Martina Peattie will be Bristol's first women President in their 90th year, has created a logo and website (www.runforthefuture.org) for the "Run for the Future" which take part on Bristol Durdham Downs on Sunday, September 10, 2006.

The objectives of the event are (a) to raise prostate awareness among local men and (b) funds for the Bristol Urological Institute (BUI) Prostate Cancer Appeal.

Thanks to co-opted committee member, John Miles, MD of John Miles organisation "representing the world's finest talent", chairman of the BUI Prostate Cancer Appeal, and himself a sufferer 6 years ago, the press lunch took place at the David Lloyd Leisure Centre on Tuesday, February 7 and was fronted by Noel Edmonds whose father died of prostate cancer.

The project is fortunate to have raised funds for up-front expenses (the logo, Website etc.) from the Lottery Awards for All, BUPA and Beachcroft Wansbroughs.

Past DG Ian Beattie (event co-ordinator) has represented the main committee as "Rotary in Bristol" and has sold the event to many Bristol area clubs. He reports a great reception from the clubs to whom he has spoken so far (Avonmouth, Bristol, Bristol Breakfast, Bristol Severnside, Clifton, Kingswood and Thornbury plus the Soroptimist Club of Bristol). Many of these clubs having sufferers past and present.

The committee hopes that up to 7,000 men women and children (above the age of 13) will
participate in the event and raise many £100,000s. After all, prostate cancer is the second
biggest cancer killer of males, affecting 30,000 men in the UK each year and killing 10,000. 1,000 are in the southwest.

Many deaths are due to ignorance of the tests available and resultant late diagnosis - only 8% men have themselves tested in the UK compared to 100% women for breast cancer.

The good news, according a recent Times article, is that if caught early and treated, deaths from prostate cancer are the lowest of any cancer.

The hope is that, if successful we can spread the event abroad to other Districts in future years.

Ian Beattie, Event Co-ordinator