G F Tomlinson building site turns into temp Prostate Cancer Test Centre

MEN in the town of Rugby and surrounding area aged 45 and over are being invited to take a free blood test as part of a prostate cancer awareness event sponsored by Midlands-based construction group G F Tomlinson.

The event takes place on Saturday, November 19 from 10am to 1pm, and is jointly organised by the Prostate Cancer Support Association in Central England and The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust.

It is being held at one of G F Tomlinson’s current construction sites – Junction One Retail Park in Rugby – where the firm will be transforming its meeting room area into a mobile blood testing clinic.

Men aged 45 and over attending the clinic will be offered a free PSA blood test, which is an indicator of the health of the prostate gland. If the PSA level is above normal it may indicate the presence of cancer of the prostate.

Trained hospital staff will be conducting the testing and a urology consultant will be available to answer questions. Representatives of the Prostate Cancer Support Association will also be on hand to provide support and information.

Cancer of the prostate is the most common cancer in men, with about 40,000 cases diagnosed each year in the UK. Prostate cancer is more prevalent in men of African-Caribbean or African descent, and men who have first degree male relatives, such as a father or brother affected by prostate cancer, are at increased risk.

G F Tomlinson became involved in the event after Kevin Gamble, senior site manager, contacted Brian Cooley, chairman of the Prostate Cancer Support Association.

Kevin has direct personal experience of the disease in his own family and wanted to see if the company could do anything to help the charity.

He said: “Using one of our construction sites as a testing facility and information point seemed an ideal way of helping the association to spread its message and of encouraging more men to take the PSA test.

“The site is in a convenient, easy to reach location and we hope that many men will visit the mobile clinic for testing and advice. G F Tomlinson have been very supportive and see this initiative as an excellent way to raise greater awareness of the threat of Prostate Cancer”.

Peter Smith, secretary of the Prostate Cancer Support Association, said he was extremely grateful to G F Tomlinson for providing the use of the site.

He said: “This event is entirely due to the generous sponsorship of G F Tomlinson. Thanks to the firm we will have the capacity to test as many as 100 men during the event as well as continuing to raise awareness of this type of cancer.

“Men are less likely to visit their GP than women and often delay seeking medical advice until conditions are advanced and therefore harder to treat. What makes the situation even worse where prostate cancer is concerned, is that many men experience no symptoms at all until the disease has progressed.

“The PSA test provides an early indication of the health of the prostate gland, and the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the more successful the treatment.”

G F Tomlinson’s site at Junction One Retail Park in Rugby is directly opposite Boots and next to the O2 phone shop. Its postcode is CV21 1RW.