Press release -

Hornets heroes raise more than £20,000 for Prostate Cancer UK

Watford Football Club struck gold for Prostate Cancer UK after updated figures for the London to Amsterdam cycle challenge were announced.

The Hornets squad were the top of the fundraising league at the event, raising more than £20,000 as the charity’s final total exceeded £180,000.

[team members] donned specially-designed golden jersey’s for the weekend event which saw more than 150 hardy souls representing clubs from The Football League pedal from Leyton Orient’s Matchroom Stadium to the Amsterdam ArenA, home of Dutch giants Ajax, between June 6-7.

And as well as raising money before and during the event, a further £750 was raised by the club’s local community centre in Croxley Green, who, together with some of the wives of the team members, hosted a welcome home BBQ.

Hornets legend Luther Blissett also played a starring role during the event, which took part in glorious weather either side of the English Channel.

Prostate Cancer UK are the official long term charity partner of The Football League, and representatives from more than 50 clubs – including Port Vale Manager Micky Adams, former Republic of Ireland international striker Alan Lee and ex-Arsenal star Perry Groves joined the peloton in East London in the early hours of Friday morning.

Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, Mark Bishop said: “This year’s London to Amsterdam bike ride was an incredible success and we were blown away with the efforts of Watford.

“From their distinctive yellow shirts to some stellar fundraising efforts, which brought in more than £20,000, the club truly went the extra mile for men’s health and we thank them whole heartedly.

“To see Watford and our ever-extending football family come together over two never-to-be-forgotten days and raise a phenomenal total is another example of the power of Men United.

“We will continue to fight against deadly opponents and the money raised will help us combat a disease that kills one man every hour. And we look forward to seeing an even bigger squad on the startline of the 2015 event.”

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Blissett added: “It was wonderful to be part of the London to Amsterdam ride again, and truly incredible to see how much it has grown in just a year with more then five times as many people joining me this time round.

“Just as the charity continues to grow as the Men United v Prostate Cancer campaign gathers momentum it was inspiring to see so many faces at the startline in East London, and there was a feel-good factor across the whole weekend.

“I’ve definitely got the bug and it will be great to saddle up again next year to continue to help raise awareness of the disease.”

After the successful 2014 event, to register an interest for next year’s London to Amsterdam cycling challenge, which takes place between June 12-14, 2015, go to prostatecanceruk.org/Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, to register for Prostate Cancer UK’s regular football newsletter packed full of all the latest Men United news and features by the finest football writers on the web visit prostatecanceruk.org/football.

If you have concerns about prostate cancer please call Prostate Cancer UK's confidential Helpline on 0800 074 8383 or visit www.prostatecanceruk.org. The helpline is free to landlines, staffed by specialist nurses, and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday with late opening until 8pm on Wednesdays.

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For more information, please contact Gary Haines, Sports PR Manager at Prostate Cancer UK, on 020 3310 7079 or at gary.haines@prostatecanceruk.org.

Topics

  • Health Organisations

Categories

  • luther blissett
  • watford football club
  • health
  • cycling
  • football
  • the football league
  • london to amsterdam
  • men united

Notes to Editors:

 About The Football League’s Official Charity Partnership with Prostate Cancer UK:

With 250,000 men – enough to fill Wembley Stadium almost three times over – living with the disease in the UK, the partnership will help to increase awareness of the disease and help raise funds so that more men survive it and enjoy a better quality of life.

Prostate Cancer UK – the Official Charity Partner of The Football League – aims to reach millions of football supporters through engagement activity across football grounds to raise awareness of the disease which now affects 1 in 8 men in the UK, that's a death rate of 10,000 deaths a year. As well as raising awareness of the disease, the official partnership will help to raise funds so that more men survive it and enjoy a better quality of life. Men United aims to galvanise the football community and inspire a movement for change in men’s health to win the battle against prostate cancer once and for all.

Prostate Cancer UK will launch a range of fundraising and awareness activities across the season and supporters can receive exclusive football stories via a Men United e-newsletter while more than 150 riders connected to The Football League clubs signed up for the second annual charity challenge and cycled from London to Amsterdam in June. Also, the Men United Hall of Fame will seek to showcase and award members of the football community for outstanding work undertaken on behalf of men’s health across the season.

About prostate cancer:

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK. Over 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Every hour 1 man dies from prostate cancer.

One in 4 black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Prostate Cancer UK fights to help more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life. It funds research into causes and treatments and provides support and information.

About Men United:

Men United v Prostate Cancer is our call for men to join together in a movement against the common enemy of prostate cancer. The aim is to build a united front of men against this disease. We want to get the message out about one of the UK’s biggest man killers, support men affected by it, and intensify the search for more reliable tests and treatments for the future.

Men are being asked to sign for Men United by visiting www.prostatecanceruk.org/menunited where they can also test their health knowledge by taking a quick quiz.

The core audience is men over 45 who urgently need to know about this disease, and to do something about it. Men United is not exclusively for men. This is a movement for men, but women will be critical supporters and activists within it. But, the core idea is that men are very consciously facing their health and banding together to right a wrong.

Whether they’ve been diagnosed or are simply concerned about prostate cancer, men can find out about the disease at www.prostatecanceruk.org.

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