The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health Charity Drake Island Swim was a Success
On Sunday 13th of August, one of our directors, Jamie Dewdney, joined the Hoare Lea team in completing the THE CHESTNUT APPEAL FOR MENS HEALTH Drake Island swim. Swim time was at 9.30am from Firestone Bay in the Royal William Yard. It was a lovely sunny day and the sea was calm, Jamie and many other supporters swam 1500m to Drake Island and back and was very happy to so for a good cause.
The Chestnut Appeal was founded in 1999 at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, however they work across the whole of Devon & Cornwall. The charity helps fund the work of specialist nurses and endeavour to develop and help patient led support groups and offer respite free holiday breaks for those recently diagnosed with cancer.
Raising awareness for the most common cancer in men; Prostate Cancer, is at the core of their work. They also raise awareness of Testicular Cancer and Penile Cancer. These two other cancers are very treatable but often overlooked or undiagnosed which can be devastating.
“Raising awareness of Men’s Cancers is at the heart of everything we do, & we aim to make a marked difference to men’s health across the region. We believe it is vital to get more men talking about their health and taking action when they feel like something could be wrong, and a lot of our time is spent out in the community giving free talks and seminars about these three cancers.”
The prostate gland is very important in the male anatomy yet only 30% of people know where it is located or what it does. There are more than 52 000 new cases of prostate cancer a year in the UK alone which is around 140 men a day being diagnosed with this cancer. If men do not know what to look for and how to ask for help, it is harder to diagnose these cancers early for a better chance of successful treatment, therefore The Chestnut Appeal feel there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We can only reach our aims when we work together as a community. Over the coming years we aim to improve vital services and do much more in the area, helping reach more of the community. We have a lot to be thankful for, and a huge amount to do in the future to ensure men’s health is continually talked about, that the South West corner of the UK isn’t forgotten about, and that we’re able to attract the very best technologies and treatment to the area.” If you think you need support and would like to know what help you can get, click here.
Fundraising is a great way to help many people and also create a community event, if you wish to plan an event click here. Co Create Architects is so proud to be able to take part in events such as this one and hope to support The Chestnut Appeal in many more events.
