Last week, the UK’s Chancellor, Philip Hammond, published the UK’s 2017 Spring Budget and there were a few decisions made that will affect the public’s health and wellbeing.  These decisions focus on the following areas:

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Soft drinks
• Access to new drugs and treatments
• Health and social care services
• Women’s Health (through the tampon tax fund)

Alcohol

From 13 March 2017, the duty rates on beer, cider, wine and spirits were increased in line with RPI inflation. This was not well-received by the hospitality industry who were hoping for a freeze or cut of the previously announced increases. But the government’s health impact assessment suggests that the increases are likely to lead to a minor decrease in  overall alcohol consumption in the UK. From a public health point of view, this is promising news as excessive alcohol consumption is linked to an increased risk of developing a number of diseases including mouth, throat, breast and live cancers, heart disease, stroke and liver disease so any decrease in alcohol consumption is of benefit to the health of the nation.

Tobacco

From 8^th March 2017, duty rates on all tobacco products increased by 2% above RPI inflation and the government will introduce a Minimum Excise Tax for cigarettes. This will target the cheapest tobacco and raise funds for the government. This policy aims to stop the public, particularly young people, from purchasing cheap cigarettes with data showing that 71% of 16-24 year olds who smoke buy the cheaper brands. By making these products unaffordable it is hoped that it will prevent young people from taking up the habit of smoking or stop those who already smoke. With smoking being strongly linked to lung cancer any strategy that reduces the amount of people who smoke will go some way to reducing lung cancer rates as well as the other diseases linked to smoking such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, stroke and more.

Soft Drinks Levy

The soft drinks levy was announced in previous budgets and in this budget the Chancellor confirmed the detail of what the levies would be. The rate for  drinks with a total sugar content of 5 grams or more per 100 millilitres will be set at 18 pence per litre and those with 8 grams or more per 100 millilitres will be set at 24 pence per litre. It is expected that this will raise an extra £1Bn and will come into effect from April 2018.

The money raised from the sugar levy will be used to double the funding available to primary schools for PE and sports programmes. The government has estimated the sugar levy will raise £320 million a year for primary schools to support healthier more active lifestyles in children. The funding will not only go towards expanding PE and sports programmes but to also expand breakfast clubs in primary schools ensuring that children have access to a healthy breakfast every week day.

The idea behind the sugar levy is a good one. It’s hoped that the levy will incentivise the soft drinks industry to reduce the amount of sugar in their products, helping the public consume less sugar. The money raised will go towards helping children get more active and healthy and thus tackle our high rates of childhood obesity.  So, from a public health point of view the sugar levy is a win-win.

Access to new drugs and treatments

The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) will  support collaboration between business and the science community. There will be an initial investment of £270 million in 2017-18 to kick-start the development technologies that have the potential to transform the UK economy.  The first wave of funding will focus on a number of areas, one of which will be improving and accelerating patient access to new drugs and treatments by exploring ways of improving manufacturing technologies.  This is a much-needed area of focus for patients ensuring that they have access to the best treatments, but it is important to ensure that these drugs and treatments are affordable to ensure that all patients benefit.

Health and Social Care Services

An additional £2 billion will be provided to local government over the next three years to support adult social care services. Half of this funding will be made available in the 2017/2018 financial year so that councils across the UK can take immediate action to support local social care providers and relieve the pressure on the NHS locally. This a significant amount of funding and we hope that a clear strategy for social care is developed and implemented so that a real difference is made.

The government will also provide an additional £100 million to the NHS in England in 2017-18  to improve waiting times and manage the increasing demands on A&E departments. There was mention in the budget of “increase the provision of on-site GP facilities” in A&E and we feel with the increasing pressures that GPs are under coupled with the shortage of GPs, moving them into an A&E setting may not be the best approach to tackling the challenges in A&E.

The government will continue its work supporting Sustainability and Transformational Plans in the NHS and will invest £325 million over the next three years to support local proposals that aim to improve patient care in a sustainable way.

Support Women’s Health and Wellbeing Through the Tampon Tax

Tampons are considered a luxury item and therefore have to be taxed, but following a campaign to cut the tampon tax the government decided, in a previous budget, that every year £15M raised from the tampon tax will be given to women’s charities. In this current budget the Chancellor has agreed to continue this.

The tampon tax has made a significant difference to women’s health with charities like Ovarian Cancer Action,  Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust,  The Eve Appeal and Breast Cancer Care benefiting from the funding. We hope that this funding will continue and that charities focusing on health issues that are of particular concern to black women will apply.

Our Conclusion

The government has introduced some policies and allocated funding to  areas that will make a difference to the health of UK’s public. We do believe that opportunities were missed to really support disease prevention by going further with measures to reduce obesity and there was only an indirect focus on physical activity through the use of the funding for the sugar tax.

For the black community to benefit from this budget we encourage black charities working on women’s issues to explore the tampon tax funding and put in an application when the next funding round opens. We also encourage the black community to engage with their local councils and get involved in any consultations regarding the use of the money allocated to them for social care services.

 

This week, our wonderful guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, discusses whether blueberries are a superfood or a superscam. Tell us what you think in the comments sections below. 

Welcome back to the ​Lake Foundation! How has your week been? This week for me has been an incredibly tiring one. I couldn’t even tell you what happened on Monday because one: I currently don’t have enough energy to think that far back, and two: I honestly just don’t want to. With moving into a new place and the intensification of work and social commitments, I haven’t been consuming the beloved 10-a-day – heck, if I consumed 3-a-day that would be an achievement. On this particular day I was feeling skinny – you know, think and you become and all of that – so as I said, I was feeling skinny and so I popped into a local health food store. My plan going into the shop was to simply pick up a few superfoods, some vegetables, and poultry. Nothing too extravagant. What I was faced with when I walked in was absolute madness. The prices of the superfoods were robbing me of any dignity I had left. I proceeded to pace up and down the shop floor wondering if this was a system error or if Johnny got a bit too excited with his marker. Nonetheless, I walked out with no superfoods in hand.

It begs the question: are superfoods a super scam? I would happily agree, end this discussion here and go eat a Kit-Kat. That, of course, is because with the prices independent stores are charging one would think that these superfoods would be​ covered in gold dust. That, of course, is not the case. The superfood in question today is the humble blueberry. With its low glycaemia index and antioxidant qualities, you can definitely be prepared to pay the premium for a punnet. There could possibly be a reason behind this.

New research that has conducted by the European Journal of Nutrition found that the daily consumption of one cup of fresh blueberries can improve cognition in healthy older adults. Meaning that you will understand, learn and remember things far more easily. Not too bad when you’re trying to remember what you did last week. The study was conducted over a 3-month period, with 13 healthy men and 24 healthy women between the ages of 60 and 75 being randomly assigned to receive Highbush blueberry powder daily (the equivalent of one cup of fresh blueberries) or a placebo powder. The results were incredibly telling and emphasising the importance of the promotion of healthy ageing. So, we’re in agreement; yes, blueberries are fantastic for your health, but what does labelling them as a superfood do to our pockets?

When a piece of fruit or veg is more expensive I automatically think that it must be better for me. Unfortunately, the hipster-ish packaging only encourages this mentality. And, honestly, the sales clerks with their ‘love life, love food’ slogan tees are not helping the situation and giving me free food, I mean c’mon, couldn’t you just ignore me, Johnny?  So what’s left? Where can you buy cheap fruit and vegetables while still not compromising on the quality? With the rampant gentrification of London and the blow of Brexit, this is not an easy question to answer. Regardless of your budget, find what works for you. Above all else, it’s about quality and not quantity.

The health and wellbeing of our community starts with our young people and an important aspect of their wellbeing is ensuring they have access to good education with the best possible facilities. This is why we’re supporting The Pen Network, an independent charitable organisation that aims to improve the life chances of African children. Currently they are fundraising  for the Odoi Atsem Memorial Preparatory School in Ghana to help this school with much-needed infrastructural work

ODOI ATSEM SCHOOL, Ghana

The school was set up by well-meaning individuals because there were no schools in their area which meant children didn’t attend school as it was too expensive for them to travel outside the community. The fees at the school are a fraction of what they would have to pay at other private schools ensuring that as many children as possible can access a high standard of education. Although it’s private, the school uses the national curriculum but is also committed to providing African centred learning. Much of its funds come from the parents, relatives and friends of the staff, especially the Headmaster, Mr Percy Gogoe.

During the rainy season the local area experiences terrible flooding and the school has to close for many reasons, one of which is the poor sanitation which is made worse by the flooding. This inability to install an effective sanitation system means they have been subjected to paying fines from their already meagre income.

The Pen Network Aims to Help

The Pen Network is aiming to raise £3000. This is needed for the completion of the school’s infrastructure, including the roof, the toilet facilities and waste disposal system. The waste disposal system will help with the drainage of stagnant water, which breeds mosquitoes and increases risk of malaria. The children do not complain. They are happy to be at school, no matter what the conditions, but The Pen Network believes that by coming together we help them learn in a much better environment and are seeking your support to achieve this.

 How You Can Help

The Pen Network have some exciting activities planned to help reach their £3,000 target. The aim is to do something charitable, whilst having fun and getting fit and healthy. Check out the challenges below and see what inspires you. They are all designed with maximum fun, fitness and health in mind. You can take part as an individual, organisation or a group of friends.

1. Vegan/Raw Health Challenge

Join The Pen Network’s members for this healthy eating, lifestyle changing activity. You decide how long you want to do the challenge for but it must be between 1-4 weeks.​You can either do a strictly vegan, combine vegan and raw meals or really go for it and do a strictly raw diet. Get as many of your family and friends to sponsor you.

Starts: 31st March 2017

2. The Bicycle Ride Challenge

How about a cycle challenge in collaboration with us, The Lake Foundation. You will need a bike to take part. Get your family and friends to sponsor you and get fit cycling.

Where: Croydon, South London

When: 29^th April 2017

Duration: 4 hours

 3. 10k Run

For the die-hards, you can join The Pen Network members in a  10K challenge.

Where: to be confirmed

When: May

Duration:It’s up to you  😉

 

4. The Big Soul line Dance

 The Pen Network’s Big Soul Line Dance in the park will give you the chance to learn some new grooves whilst raising funds for educational needs. Sponsored by Johmard Fitness & Dance.

Cost: £5.00 to take part

When: In summer, to be confirmed

Where: A lovely park in London, to be confirmed

5.  Do your own!

Do you have an idea or challenge you want to share? Tell The Pen Network about it and get your friends to sponsor you. The duration of the challenge is up to you but it must be completed by the end of May.

6. Sponsor The Pen Network as an Organisation

If you are an organisation that shares an interest in The Pen Network’s cause, why not sponsor them? A great benefit will be the opportunity for some team bonding by getting your staff involved in our challenges. At the end of our activities, we’ll invite you to share your success story.   Speak to The Pen Network about how you can work together on this and other projects

More Information

For more information on how to take part you can contact The Pen Network by:

Email: thepennetwork@gmail.com

Phone: 07950 308 033

Twitter – @thepennetwork

Facebook – thepennetwork

 

We welcome back our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah. This week Stacey reflects on the new research conducted by Imperial College London that found we need to eat more than 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day to achieve a significant health benefit.

Welcome back to the Lake Foundation!

I hope this week hasn’t been too depressing for you with the arrival storm Doris. This has been a week of great reflection for me as I look back on how I became the person I am today. I’ve been particularly looking at my eating habits and how they formed. This comes at quite an interesting time as new studies have found that eating greater amounts of fruit vegetables can lower your risk of disease. Honestly, I’ll give them an A for effort. Studies like this one are not going to comfort you when it’s a movie night and you have no food; or, when you’re coming from work and you ‘happen’ to stumble across the infamous golden arches. Ultimately, people are going to treat studies such as these as a pick ‘n’ mix or an all you can eat buffet. So, here is what’s on the menu, or rather what the study has found.

Eating 10 portions of fruits and vegetable​s every day​ could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, a new study has found. The study, that was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, also identified which fruit and vegetables provided the greatest protection against disease.

The research found that apples, pears, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables may help protect against heart disease, cardiovascular disease, ​and early death. The foods that were found to prevent cancer were green vegetables, yellow vegetables such as peppers and carrots, and cruciferous vegetables.

Other studies have also supported this thesis, as a separate study that was published in the Thorax journal, found that a fruit and veg rich diet is linked to a much lower risk of chronic lung disease. I’m guessing this isn’t something we haven’t already heard before. I don’t know about you but what I’m particularly interested in is how we fit 10 portions of fruit and veg into our daily intake. With all the dinners and drinks the working women have​ scheduled during the week you really don’t want to be that friend who is taking out her Tupperware containers at the dinner table.

Having just lost 10 pounds from switching up my eating habits I would suggest making your meals in advance – which means making them from scratch and staying away from processed foods. At the beginning, ​it’s best not to be over ambitious as you will have lots of leftover food. Another suggestion would be to invest in a smoothie maker. Thankfully I was gifted a Nutri-bullet a while back so it has made eating vegetables and fruit much easier. The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to ​strike a balance – you don’t want to overload on sugar.

Comment down below on how you manage to eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

We would love to hear from you….

In this week’s blog, our Cycling Coordinator continues her discussion on the benefits of cycling.

It’s 2017 and we kick-started the year as we intend to go on with more cycling adventures in Croydon and beyond. Following our blog about the mental benefits of cycling, we are looking at the physical benefits of cycling.

Gently does it

Cycling is low impact but effective.  Low-impact describes an exercise where at least one foot remains on the ground. So some argue that cycling is no-impact as both feet sit on pedals! When you sit on your cycle your weight rests on a pair of bones in your pelvis instead of your legs. This takes the pressure off your joints. In turn, it reduces the risk of injuries that can affect your movement. In fact, research suggests low impact sports can promote the healing of damaged joints.

Look great on the outside

Cycling is generally a great full-body workout. It works and tones leg muscles, your bottom and upper body. It can assist in weight loss as it increases the body’s ability to burn calories and fat. A lesser-known fact is that exercise promotes the flow of oxygen and nutrients to feed your skin cells. This can make you appear more youthful. It also promotes the creation of collagen, which can prevent those pesky wrinkles.

Be great on the inside

Prevention is better than cure. A low impact activity like cycling can improve and prevent cardiovascular diseases. The British Heart Foundation found that cyclists have half the risk of heart disease compared to those who don’t exercise at all. If pilates or yoga isn’t your thing then cycling is a good way to strengthen your core muscles. This can improve your balance and your coordination. Surprisingly, regular cycling can improve your fitness levels to match someone 10 years younger.

We can’t promise you’ll achieve the stamina of a professional cyclist nor the lean body of a central London courier, but The Lake Foundation Cycling Club is a good start towards your fitness and wellbeing goals for 2017. For more information on how to join email events@thelakefoundation.com

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Sources

http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=fitness_defined_lowimpact_and_highimpact_exercises

http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-top-5-benefits-of-cycling

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/the-mediterranean-diet-good-for-your-body-and-mind.html

https://caloriebee.com/workout-routines/Can-Cycling-Help-Tone-Your-Legs-Stomach-and-Butt

http://www.livestrong.com/article/417895-what-parts-of-the-body-does-bicycling-work/

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/30-reasons-to-take-up-cycling-23965/

In today’s blog post our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, discusses depression and very powerfully shares her personal experience with us. Get involved in the discussion and please do leave a comment below for Stacey.

Today’s blog post comes in somewhat of a sombre note. The topic we’ll be discussing is mental health, but more specifically depression. Many see this as simply a word, unable to comprehend the intensity of such a thing. Some, ​however, have experienced the feelings of hopelessness and darkness that come with this condition. Depression, whatever that may look like is real, you may not be able to understand it but it’s there lurking in the background. Coming from an African family but also a Christian one, my perception of mental health has always been an interesting one; and when I had depression as a child my mother was not quite convinced. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you, my experience of depression and my mother’s perception of it and what we have both learned from the experience.

The World Health Organization defines mental health ‘as a state of well-being; of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ Going on from this, depression can be understood as a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. This typically affects how you think, feel and behave. This could lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. This topic has always been of great importance to me not only because I’ve experienced this, but as a society, I feel like it’s so easy to focus on the outward appearance. If you’re smiling, then everything must be ok – surely. If you ask someone how they’re doing and they reply with, ‘I’m fine’, then all must be well. I have found that in the past this has not been the case at all. Anyone who has been around me for an extended period of time will know that I have a tendency to frequently ask the questions – How are you feeling? What are you thinking? How do you feel about that? And no, this is not because I’m a maniac who wants to get inside your head. It’s because I know it’s far too easy to hide your negative emotions and to some, in the end, this does become destructive.

I experienced depression from the age of 11 until the age of 20. I know I don’t have the condition anymore as I don’t have that persistent feeling of sadness. Although I do realise that depression does not have an expiry date, everyone does experience it differently. This post is not about telling you how we all experience the condition but rather encouraging you all to not be so eager when it comes to labelling or formulating certain medical conditions. One size does not fit all. During this period, I experienced intense feelings of loneliness, rejection and just overall darkness. The interesting thing however is that though I have always had my family around me, but that didn’t matter at the time. I was mostly inwardly focused, focusing on my own feelings – exaggerating my feelings of negativity and isolating and marginalising my positive emotions. They did not matter. I would always focus on the negative. This would be accompanied by 3 am phone calls to family members about how everything I did in my life was so wrong. The more than occasional bursts of tears would follow and just general misery. Although I was deep in the pits of depression I never did seek professional help. I didn’t want to be labelled as damaged or different. This was, of course, to do with the stigma of depression in society. I can talk about it now because I can look back at that time and think wow. I’m glad I went through that because it made me a stronger person and I’m able to empathise with people with mental health issues. It also brought my mother and me​ together. Here is what she had to say:

‘When you had depression, honestly, I felt helpless. I didn’t know what to do. I was always worried about what you were going to do as you were quite unpredictable. The only thing I could do was pray for you and answer those 3 am phone calls. Although you do mean everything to me, I had to understand that there was only so much I could for you. At the beginning, it was incredibly difficult as I just thought you were being dramatic and didn’t want to be put into certain social situations. After a while, though I learned to listen to you and from there we just had to work through it together.’

To describe depression as being a rough journey would be an understatement. It’s not easy. Some people have to seek medical help for it whereas others do not. Everyone is different. Families and cultures deal with it differently. The key thing that helped me during this time was having a strong support network – made of family and friends. What are your views on mental health? Comment down below or on our Facebook page and let’s open up the discussion.

See you soon x

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The Lake Foundation would like to say a big thank you to Stacey for sharing her experience with depression, we hope that through her experience you have gained some insight into this condition.

For more information about depression you can visit Mind, Rethink Mental Illness and Croydon Drop In  

Over the past month or so we’ve had the opportunity to attend a number of interesting events to discuss a range of health issues and in today’s blog, we’ll give you a quick summary of a childhood obesity event we attended a few weeks ago.

Reducing Childhood Obesity

On 18^th January, we attended the Croydon Children, Young People and Families’ Network reducing childhood obesity event. This event brought together organisations in Croydon who are tackling childhood obesity to share experiences and also to understand Croydon’s new childhood obesity strategy.

The main speaker on the day was Bernadette Alves, Consultant in Public Health at Croydon Council, who took us through the Croydon Healthy Weight Action Plan for Children and Young People which aims to cover their plans from 2017 to 2020.

The Scale of the Problem

Bernadette Alves started by setting the scene with some background information stating that childhood obesity is a major priority for Croydon being one of their five main priorities for children in the borough. She explained that obesity causes children harm impacting their physical health, mental health, behaviour and day-to-day life (such as school attendance). She explained the extent of the problem telling us that 20.3% of children in reception (4-5-year-olds) are overweight or obese and 39% in year 6 (10-11-year-olds). When we look across the borough there is a lot of variation with Broad Green, New Addington, Selhurst and Thornton Heath having the highest levels of year 6 obesity levels and Sanderstead having the lowest year 6 obesity rate.

Croydon’s Action Plan for Childhood Obesity

We then heard how Croydon Council aims to tackle childhood obesity with their new strategy. Bernadette explained that their core priorities would be :

• Sugar: to sign a sugar declaration and develop a borough wide sugar smart approach
• Targeting and Integration: they will ensure that services are targeted to those most in need and develop an integrated interactive pathway of all services that are available to support children to reach and maintain a healthy weight
• Physical activity: roll out the Daily Mile campaign to schools
• Engagement of residents and the community: they will raise awareness of the impact of childhood obesity and support and empower residents to make behaviour changes.

The Council’s action plan, at the time, was in a draft phase and going forward they were conducting a consultation on the plan; the deadline for this was the end of January.  We also learnt that a Healthy Weight Steering Group was set up and is being led by Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group and Croydon Council; they will monitor the implementation of the action plan.

Unhealthy High Streets

Following Bernadette’s presentation there was time for questions and one of the issues raised was the large number of unhealthy takeaway restaurants in close proximity to schools.  In response to this Bernadette stated that there is a lot of work being conducted to create healthier high streets. She acknowledged that there is a major issue with fast food chains being placed near schools that target children with very cheap deals on their products.  Even data from the Royal Society of Public Health has shown that  Croydon has a particular problem with Central Parade in New Addington being the second most unhealthy high street in London.

Developing Better Relationships Between Local Government and Charities

Another issue that was raised during the Q&A was the lack of communication between small groups and the Council. It was felt that there needs to be a better working relationship between community groups and the Council that would enable all organisations working in this field to work effectively together, reduce duplication and align their objectives with the local approach. It was felt that the Council could provide more support to community organisations that goes beyond providing funding through their grants programmes but promoting projects and working in collaboration to ensure that projects are successful.

The event ended with a networking session where we could learn about the work being conducted by local community groups and charities.

This was a really interesting event and provided some good insight into local plans for tackling childhood obesity.

 

In this week’s blog freelance journalist Stacey Mensah discusses dementia. 

Welcome back, you lovely people! It’s the end of another week and I don’t know about you but I’m glad it’s here. I’ve also just realized that it’s the last weekend in January! How are we feeling about that? I don’t know whether to be excited by the fact that we’ll be saying bye-bye to January blues, or sad because we are another month closer to bikini season – or should I say overall season. Ha! Let’s leave the issue of bikini season to one side – for now – and let’s discuss dementia, and how regular exercise can reduce the odds of developing this disease.

Dementia 101

Dementia refers to a set of symptoms that include, but are not limited to, memory loss and deficiencies with thinking, problem-solving and language. Although these changes are incredibly minor to start off with, over time they do become severe enough to affect everyday life. Of course, the best thing to do would be to get a proper assessment of problems but the waiting times of the NHS stretching as far as two weeks it’s best to take preventative measures while you still can.

In a recent study, it was found that people who exercised regularly appeared to have lower odds of developing dementia than those that didn’t.  This study followed more than 1,500 adults, aged 65 and older. This isn’t to say that if you’re younger than 65 you can stop reading – carry on, you’ll be surprised.

The symptoms of dementia can be seen in those that are younger than 65. This is usually referred to as having young-onset dementia. The stressful events of life including weddings, job losses and divorce have also been linked to this development. Unfortunately, there is a wider range of diseases that trigger young-onset dementia. Most importantly, people with this type of dementia are far more likely to be diagnosed with a rarer form of the disease. In both cases getting a diagnosis would be the best thing too – regardless of how long you may have to wait, it is worth it!

Getting Real

Here at the Lake Foundation, we take health incredibly seriously. It’s not a fad, but we do struggle. We are simply normal peopleand at times we have questionable eating habits. And of course when I say we, I mean me. Eating healthily and exercising regularly as always been an obstacle for me. Actually, to call it an obstacle would be a major understatement, as obstacles are usually overcome within time. This obstacle has become that piece of furniture in the corner that you just can’t seem to throw away. When you wake up, it’s there. When you go to bed, ooooh wait…no, ​it’s still there. When my family and friends ask me about it, I rationalize its being; somehow relating it back to the core of my existence. I know, how dramatic, right?

I tell you this because we are all in this together. For the start of February, my plan is to change the rules that I live by. For a wise woman once said that some rules are nothing but old habits that people are afraid to change.

Have a great weekend!

Last week, we had the pleasure of attending the launch of Prostate Cancer UK’s Stronger Knowing More campaign. This campaign is aimed at black men and puts the spotlight on the fact that black men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. Black men have a 1 in 4 chance of developing prostate cancer, which is double the risk faced by white men.

The campaign was formally launched on 17^th January at 15 Hatfields . The event started with a networking session where we were able to speak to staff members involved in developing this much-needed campaign, hear from men who have been affected by prostate cancer and view the very powerful images being used for Stronger Knowing More.

Powerful Imagery

Our first mission as we walked around the beautiful venue was to look at the exhibition of images which were created for the campaign.

Prostate Cancer UK worked with photographer Dennis Morris to create a collection of photographs of black men from the worlds of sport, politics and the arts as well as prostate cancer survivors in a show of strength against prostate cancer. The collection of images featured former WBA World Heavyweight champion David Haye, Olympic gold medallist, Linford Christie Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, writer and musician Benjamin Zephaniah, ex-England footballer Viv Anderson and Red Dwarf star Danny John-Jules.

Reading through the captions of the each picture was really inspiring, moving and empowering and we’re sure that as men see these it was make them reflect on their health and perceptions of prostate cancer.

It was also interesting to read the behind the scenes view of the creation of the pictures with photographer Dennis Morris explaining that each shot was carefully thought through. For his photo shoot he asked each of his subjects to select a location where they felt the strongest and he was able to capture moments of defiance, strength and vulnerability.  It is hoped that the pictures will tap into the inner strength of men and when combined with information will defeat the silence and stigma around prostate cancer.

Moving Stories

During the networking session we spoke to several men with experience of prostate cancer and were so moved by their experience and the fact that despite their health they were working tirelessly to raise awareness and support other men.  It was also interesting to learn of how some men came to be diagnosed, many by chance encounters with people who made them think which really highlighted that small gestures can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

We spoke to one man whose first words to us were: “that man saved my life” as he pointed to one of Prostate Cancer UK’s most well-known patient volunteers, Errol McKellar. He told us that he was waiting at a train station one day when Errol began speaking to him about prostate cancer and ended the conversation by giving him a leaflet, which he only took to “shut him up!” He said that leaflet stayed on his desk at work for two weeks and then during a slow day at work he read the leaflet and realised he had some of the symptoms of prostate cancer. He visited his GP and was later diagnosed with prostate c,ancer, which he said was devastating.  All he could think about was not being there for his wife and children and not being around to see his children grow up, “they are still so young”. Luckily he was diagnosed at a fairly early stage and his future is bright, but had he not met Errol McKellar his story could have been so different.

Inspiring Speeches

After the networking session it was time for speeches. We first heard from Tom Shrophire, Trustee of Prostate Cancer, UK who gave some background to the campaign and how it came into being. He said that there was a need to publically acknowledge the heightened risk black men have and start implementing a solution that seeks to raise awareness as many men don’t realise they are at an increased risk.  He said this work is part of Prostate Cancer UK’s aim to tame prostate cancer in the next 10 years and this means they have to make black men, black families and black communities a priority.

We also heard from Prostate Cancer UK ambassador, Errol McKellar, who shared his touching story about his experience with prostate cancer. He was diagnosed after reading a leaflet about the PSA test and then decided to have the test done. He explained how prostate cancer totally changed his life and was the most difficult challenge of his life. He described the importance of having a good support system and said he would have never made it through this disease without the support of his wife (“my wife was my strength”). He gave hope to men by saying his prostate cancer diagnosis had knocked him down, yes, but it hadn’t knocked him out.  He gave a realistic view telling the audience that he is still battling some of the side effects of treatment and of the disease itself and it has taken him a long time to come to terms with how it has affected his life.  He also described his more vulnerable moments, like when he was diagnosed, he said “he cried like a baby.”

We were so inspired by all the work Errol has done since his recovery.  After he recovered from his treatment and was fit to return to work he was contemplating how he could make difference. So he decided that he would speak to every man that came into his mechanic shop about prostate cancer.

On his first day back to work he started with his first customer and  asked him: “When last did you get your prostate checked?”  He then offered his customer a 20% discount if he got a PSA test done and reported back to him. Sure enough a few months later the man return for his 20% discount having completed his PSA test but was shockingly diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer. The man said that Errol should donate the discount to charity and keep raising awareness. That was back in 2011 and since then Errol has spoken to hundreds of men about prostate cancer which has resulted in 26 men being diagnosed with prostate cancer, sadly two of those men have since passed away.

Finally we heard from actor Rudolph Walker, who has been working with Prostate Cancer UK for a number of years to raise awareness. Whilst he hasn’t had prostate cancer himself he spoke of his close friend who sadly lost his life to prostate cancer, but had he known the symptoms and been diagnosed earlier he may still be here today.

Getting Involved

On the night Prostate Cancer UK asked us all to make a pledge to support their campaign and raise awareness and we’ve pledged to do just that.

You can also get involved in this campaign and Prostate Cancer UK have said you could do any of the following:

• Read the ‘information for black men’ guide, wear your ‘man of men’ charity pin badge, and spread the word. Give the second guide and badge to someone who needs it
• Visit strongerknowingmore.org to find out the latest on the campaign
• Use your social media accounts to share the campaign on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (follow us at @ProstateUK and use #StrongerKnowingMore)
• Go online and book a free awareness talk for your colleagues, church or community organisation
• Order the free campaign posters and information to promote them in your workplace or your community organisation
• Help stop prostate cancer being a taboo subject. Share your personal story with us so we can share it with others

So let’s all get involved in raising awareness, breaking down the walls of silence and work towards saving our husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, cousins and friends from prostate cancer.

Last night, we were so excited to host our first fibroids Twitter chat. We were joined by special guests Dr Sydney Dillard, CEO of Fighting Fibroids and Renee Brown Small Co-founder of The Fibroids Project with host, our own Abi Begho, founder of The Lake Foundation.

If you missed our Twitter chat you can check out our conversation below and look out for our next Twitter chat on Wednesday 15th February at 7pm (UK time).

Update June 2018: Please note that tweets from Renee Brown Small are no longer available so some information is missing from the chat below.

Hello all, it’s @AbiBegho here and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to The Lake Foundation’s first #fibroids #Twitter chat. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Fibroids are a common, but rarely spoken about #WomensHealth issue and we want to raise awareness and provide women with info #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Over the next hour we’ll be putting questions to our guests, @DrSydneyjd and @FibroidsProject on a variety of issues. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

There will be time for you to make comments and ask our guests questions. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to be a part if this much needed discussion about uterine fibroids. Thank you for having us @TheLakeFound ! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

It’s a pleasure to introduce our guests.First, Renee Brown Small, from @FibroidsProject .Please tell us a bit about yourself. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We also have @DrSydneyjd from Fighting #Fibroids. Please tell us a bit about who you are and what you do. #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

I am an Asst. Professor of Communication @CMNDePaul Univ. Health campaign developer. Wife, mother, daughter! #FibroidsChat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

So… let’s start at the beginning. @FibroidsProject can you tell us what exactly are fibroids? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat #Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. This is the what an opened uterus looks like after surgery#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/sNsC3Ih28L

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. We understand that there are different types of #fibrods. @DrSydneyjd can you take us through the different types? #fibroidschat https://t.co/X719hKxUPq

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

The four are defined by their location in the uterus. More photos at https://t.co/MrTGm2sTLQ 2/2 #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Ok, it looks like we don’t have any questions. So let move to the next question. @fibroidsproject What causes fibroids? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Thank you. It’s a shame the cause isn’t known as it does make prevention a bit difficult. #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

We might not know the cause, do you know factors increase a women’r risk of developing #fibroids? @FibroidsProject @DrSydneyjd #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Some factors that increase your risk include heredity, race/ethnicity, early onset of one’s period, weight, and diet #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some factors that can affect the risk of developing #fibroids.#RxForLife pic.twitter.com/TFvBT6gIzg

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Thank you. Quite a few factors affect risk. So what specific steps could women take to reduce their risk? #fibroidschat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

Unfortunately some of the risk factors are out of our hands, but we have some flexibility w/others like diet/weight etc. #fibroidschat 1/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

New studies show decreasing the intake of foods high in estrogen and increasing intake of green leafy veggies is a start #fibroidschat 2/2

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@TheLakeFound Which foods have estrogen in them? Or would it be simpler to say which do not? #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

How much time do you have 😅?! There is estrogen in so many foods. I always suggest staying away from red meats as a first step #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

#fibroidschat Here are some foods high in #estrogen #FibroidsChat pic.twitter.com/6VVS5vy3sX

— Crystal Moore MD/PhD (@drcrystalamoore) January 18, 2017

Great example of what I meant! Lots of foods have estrogen, but we also have to worry about artificial vs natural estrogen. #fibroidschat https://t.co/qN9sgzP6VM

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

Can we just highlight that Soy is a major concern and should be avoided. Vegans are particularly vulnerable #fibroidschat

— Jo Richards (@NearerNature) January 18, 2017

yes soya is such a major hormone disrupter that i still a staple in many vegetarians & vegans diets

— Leah Salmon (@naturalyoucoach) January 18, 2017

This is another great point, but I always note not demonize soy as there are conflicting studies on it’s impact at the moment #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017

@FibroidsProject Fibroids are more common in black women? Why is this? #FibroidsChat

— Lake Health and Wellbeing (@lakehealthwell) January 18, 2017

At this time there isn’t enough research to pinpoint why this fibroids are so common especially given the many risk factors #fibroidschat

— Dr. Sydney Dillard (@DrSydneyjd) January 18, 2017