Charity of the Year 2024 – Prostate Cancer Support Organisation

Each year, Comserv staff are asked to nominate local Charities for the company to support for our Charity of the Year. We then hold a vote and fundraise for the chosen charity throughout the year.

For 2024 the Charity which was selected was the Prostate Cancer Support Organisation (PCaSO).

Who are the Prostate Cancer Support Organisation?

PCaSO are a local Charity for men diagnosed with prostate cancer run by patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. The Charity operates across the Hampshire, Sussex and Dorset areas. They provide advice, support groups and signposting to information.

They also organise and run Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing Events across the region.


Educating our Staff

As an employer whose 200 employees are made up of 80% males, we felt as part of our year supporting PCaSO it was important to educate our staff on Prostate Cancer. One of the reasons the charity was nominated and voted for by staff in the first place was because we had a number of staff who had undergone treatment for Prostate Cancer.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men. Each year in the UK over 47,000 men are diagnosed with it and about 11,000 men die of it. Prostate cancer awareness is vital for early detection and treatment, potentially saving lives through education and screening initiatives. Increased awareness fosters open discussions, encourages proactive healthcare decisions, and supports ongoing research for improved treatments and outcomes.

As Part of our Toolbox Talks we included information on Prostate Cancer including the signs and those who should be tested (any male aged over 50, any males aged over 40 with a family  history of prostate or breast cancer, all men of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity). We also showed all of our staff the video from the PCaSO website which explains what the PSA Blood Test involved, what it can indicate and how this can point towards additional testing. We also gave out literature for staff to take home and read. 


Fundraising

Throughout the year we held various fundraising activities for PCaSO which included:

•    a Christmas Raffle
•    a Bake Sale
•    sold PCaSO and Prostate Cancer pin badges to staff
•    a Raffle at our Family Fun Day in the Summer
•    Van wash
•    A Linked In collaboration with one of our suppliers
•    and one member of staff fundraised for PCaSO as part of her Trek to Everest Base Camp

In total we raised over £4,000 for PCaSO, and our staff definitely put the ‘fun’ in Fundraising to reach this total.




Hosting our own PSA Blood Test Events

As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness month in May, Comserv arranged an on-site Prostate Specific Antigen Blood Testing Event for their staff.

Julie Strutt, Comserv Communications and Engagement Manager who arranged the event said:

“Comserv were keen to support our staff by funding this event. With a workforce that is 80% male, and a significant number of these fitting the criteria for a test, we felt it was important to raise awareness and enable staff the opportunity to get tested given how difficult it can be to get an appointment to see your GP. “

Comserv made a donation to cover the costs for the event and staff who attended made a donation to the Charity. Test results were processed by the laboratory at Queen Alexandra hospital and were available within 48 hours.

In December we arranged a second on-site PSA Blood Testing Event for both staff and some of our suppliers. Again with Comserv covering the costs to the Charity for the event and further donations from staff.

In total across the year we tested over 70 men and of these 4 ended up having follow up investigations.

Richard Cooper, Comserv Group Executive Manager said:

“This year our fundraising for the PCaSO has been fantastic, but our support has been two fold with our PSA Blood Testing Events which were arranged through the PCaSO Charity. We plan to continue to fund annual PSA Blood Testing at least until there is a nationwide NHS screening process in place.”