12 December 2011

Norfolk Family’s tragic loss from rare cancer prompts them to support the Blue Ribbon Foundation

Chris Barber was just 52-years-old when he passed away on October 6 this year. He had been bravely battling against cancer of the penis for over three years. Before he died, Chris made it clear he wanted no sympathy and urged his family to get on with their lives as quickly as possible after his funeral.

It was also Chris’s wish that any monies given in his memory should be put to good use in raising the profile of male cancers. Chris and his wife Anita decided to donate the money to the Blue Ribbon Foundation. This week, the family have donated an amazing amount of more than £1500 to the charity!

It did not stop there… Anita, 52, of Sculthorpe, together with her three daughters, Kerry, 30, Sharon, 26 and Katie, 23, are now giving their time to work with the charity in raising awareness of male cancers. And as part of that work, perhaps one decision they have agreed to will make people really sit up and take notice…

This group of young women are now doing what many men will not face up to doing – they are openly talking about male cancers, in particular cancer of the penis.

Anita said, “I loved Chris so much and to see him battling against this awful disease for so long was heart-breaking. Even though it was apparent he was often in pain, he made no fuss and he would not allow us to make any fuss either. He said it was his personal battle and he wanted us to carry on as normal. He was so brave.

“We all miss him terribly, but we now want to use our tragedy to help others. We want to wake men up to the threats they face and we want to tell them that in so many cases, early detection can often lead to successful treatment. That is true of penile cancer, testicular cancer and prostate cancer.

“The girls and I are so keen to play our part in getting men talking about their health more openly and, more importantly, getting themselves checked by a doctor at the first sign of any problems.”

For more information or to speak to the family, please contact Mel Lacey

ends

14 April 2011

Great news as we become an officially registered charity!

The Trustees of the Blue Ribbon Foundation are very pleased to announce that our registration process with the Charity Commissioners has now been completed. The BRF’s charity number is 1141261.

Chair of Trustees, Jonathan Prince, said, “This most important stage of establishing our charity was protracted because of a change in the law that necessitated the resubmission of our application. Unfortunately, when we completed that process, the submission of our new Trust Deed coincided with the end of the financial year, a time when the commissioners are very busy indeed.

“But that is behind us now and we are able to get on with the business of doing our bit to raise the profile of male cancers and other illnesses and hopefully we will help save many lives by doing that!”

“We thank all our supporters, especially our main sponsors InsureBlue.com, for their patience during the registration period.

“Now it is onwards and upwards for the Blue Ribbon Foundation!”

ends

28 February 2011

Blue Ribbon Foundation ‘pre-launch’ event in Norwich this weekend!

The dream of a Norfolk man moves closer to becoming a reality at a special fund-raising event in Norwich this coming weekend…

A formal launch of the Blue Ribbon Foundation (BRF) will take place in London in the future, but to mark the fact its creation is partly due to the work of local man Mel Lacey, trustees of the new charity were keen to underline this fact by having a ‘pre-launch’ in Norwich.

This has been made possible by the generosity of Chef and Brewer in hosting a fund-raising weekend on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 March 2011 at their Rushcutters pub and restaurant in Thorpe St Andrews. It will be attended by Chloe Smith MP on Saturday evening.

Organiser and General Manager Trisha, who runs the pub with her partner Ben, said, “We want to do our bit to let everybody know about the Blue Ribbon Foundation which Mel has helped to set up. We want to help him encourage men to take more care of their health and not be afraid to seek help when they have concerns.”

Chair-elect of the BRF trustees, Jonathan Prince (who is also Chair of trustees of the Pink Ribbon Foundation), said, “My first ever contact with Mel was about two years ago when he phoned me and asked why we did not have a blue equivalent of the Pink Ribbon Foundation. I explained it was something we wanted to do, but that it needed a separate source of income and would need to be registered separately.

“After two years of hard work, that is all now coming together. With a major national sponsor, Hastings Direct, coming on board at the end of 2010 and now the wonderful hospitality of Rushcutters here in Norwich, we feel we are finally on our way,” concluded Jonathan.

The charity plans to sell blue ribbons, wristbands and eventually many other items to highlight its existence and subsequently raise the profile of issues surrounding men’s health. The BRF will be emulating its sister charity by aiming to exist without any paid staff, using only the trustees and volunteers to carry out the work.

Chloe Smith, Member of Parliament for Norwich North, said, “In my view, discussions about male health issues, especially amongst men themselves, are not heard to the same extent as those of women talking about their problems. Early diagnosis is vital in Illnesses such as cancer where speedy treatment can save more lives. Too many men are dying unnecessarily and many of those lives could be saved by earlier action.

“I wish every success to the foundation as it sets about the task of raising the profile of cancers and other health issues. I’ll be among the first to wear a blue ribbon and I hope many others across the country will do likewise to show their support.”

Trustee-elect, Mel Lacey, said, “We are not aiming to become specialists in any given health matter, there are some wonderful charities out there already doing that. The Prostate Cancer Charity is a good example. Our role will be using the blue ribbons as a reminder that men should talk more openly about health concerns and that help is available to assist them.

“We will provide a sign-posting service, listening to men’s concerns and then pointing them in the right direction. Our website will provide links and contact information for the specialist charities and organisations.

“Part of the monies raised in our work will be used for the purchase and distribution of awareness products and providing our communications needs. The rest will be passed to existing charities by way of grants. This will work in exactly the same way as the Pink Ribbon Foundation.”

Ends