When we first planned the community screening clinic at Eaton Socon Healthcare Centre in St Neots, we initially set out with just 62 available appointments. As reported in the Hunts Post, the ambition grew into a dedicated mission to test as many men as possible. Thanks to the team’s extraordinary effort, capacity expanded from 62 to 100, then 105—and by the end of an incredible day, 122 men received free prostate health checks, including a PSA blood test and examination.
The message is unmistakable: men do want to be tested. Often, all they need is the right encouragement and an accessible opportunity.
A heartfelt thank you goes to Dave Young, local prostate cancer patient advocate and organiser of the event. Diagnosed in 2024 despite feeling healthy and having no symptoms, Dave credits a simple PSA test with saving his life and has made it his mission to champion early detection. His tireless campaigning and dedication brought this event to life, with brilliant support from the St Neots Prostate Cancer Support Group and Purple Horizons Community CIC.
We extend our special thanks to Angela Kenyon, Chairman of Purple Horizons, and her daughter Millie Kenyon, whose tireless help and dedication on the day ensured everything ran smoothly. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Cetti Long, Communications and Engagement Specialist at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, for coordinating communications and amplifying our message across the media.
Local dignitaries and healthcare leaders strongly backed the day and came to show their support. Among the visitors were Dr Neil Modha DL, practising GP and Deputy Lieutenant for Cambridgeshire; Dr Thaven Chetty, GP Partner at Lakeside Healthcare; Ian Sollom MP, Member of Parliament for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire; Councillor Sarah Pitt, who spoke passionately about raising awareness, including within the trans community; and Councillor Brett Mickelburgh, Deputy Executive Leader of Huntingdonshire District Council. Their presence highlighted the power of NHS clinicians, primary care, civic leaders, and the local community uniting with one shared goal.
To every man we couldn’t see on the day: please contact your GP surgery and ask for an appointment to discuss prostate cancer and whether a PSA blood test is right for you. Be polite, but be firm—never take no for an answer when it comes to having a potentially life-saving conversation. Prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages, so please do not wait for warning signs before getting checked.
Fighting Prostate Cancer Team:
Dr. Jyoti Shah MBE, Cliff Hodgkins, Lauren Henson, Claire Ford, Vanessa Oliveiracosta, Michelle Saraos Zabat-Saraos
I just wanted to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to you and the entire team for everything.
The day was simply amazing, and the feedback I’ve received since has completely blown me away. My phone has hardly stopped, with men and their families messaging me after receiving their results—some with reassuring news and, sadly, others with results that require further investigation.
Those messages show just how important the event was and the difference it has already made. For some of those men, Saturday may genuinely prove to have been life-changing.
None of this would have been possible without you and your incredible team giving your time, expertise and support. The professionalism, kindness and dignity shown to every man who attended were outstanding.
I feel incredibly proud of what we achieved together, and I will always be grateful to you for helping make it happen.
Please pass on my sincere thanks to everyone involved.
