To cap off their efforts for ‘Movember 2024’, this week luxury care home group Connaught Care Collection and employee health services provider Bluecrest Wellness celebrated raising over £2,000 to fight prostate cancer – well above the original target of £1,000. You can see the Just Giving page here.
Organised as a joint fundraising effort across both companies, all funds will go to supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s research, education, and support programs. Their efforts were led by Connaught Care’s CEO Andrew Winstanley and Finance Director Iain Gordon – who’s formidable moustaches inspired dozens of staff to join the fun!
Commenting on the success of the campaign, Andrew Winstanley said:
“Movember is a fantastic initiative which we are really proud to be taking part in with Bluecrest Wellness! This year, our mission was to help shine a spotlight on this terrible disease, which we know disproportionately affects older men in the UK. Unfortunately, for many people there is still a very real stigma around discussing these kinds of personal health issues; which can make recognising early symptoms and getting timely treatment difficult.”
Dominique Kent, CEO of Bluecrest Wellness, said:
“At Bluecrest, we’re passionate about making a difference. Until recently, more women than men booked annual health checks. But thanks to awareness efforts, October and November saw more men stepping up for health checks than ever before. A huge thank you to everyone who donated, supported, and shared the message. Together, we’re breaking barriers and changing lives.”
Led by the senior leadership teams at both companies, this collaboration was a passion project for staff who see the impact of prostate cancer every day.
Despite recent advances in the treatment of prostate cancer, it remains one of the most common forms of the disease amongst men. It accounts for about 28% of all male cancer cases from 2017–2019, and causes around 12,000 deaths each year in the UK. Sadly, incidence of the disease also seems to increase with age, with the highest rates in the 75–79 age group.
Connaught and Bluecrest are drawing up plans to tackle this problem across the homes by creating spaces where residents feel free to discuss and share their health problems with staff. By tackling stigmas and building an open and receptive culture in the homes, the group also hopes to tackle mental health as well – another major men’s health issue.
Andrew Winstanley again:
“Basically, we want our residents to know that it’s OK to talk about problems they are experiencing, whether physical or emotional. Our message is that there is nothing more important than health and wellbeing, and so overcoming those mental barriers to seeking help when you need it is crucial. I am so proud how much the whole Connaught Care family has thrown themselves into this project during Movember”.
Connaught Care first joined forces with Bluecrest Wellness in July 2024 to offer free full-body health checks to staff at each of its six operational homes across the country. These included checks for heart disease, stroke risk, ECGs, cholesterol levels, diabetes, protein and iron levels. The two companies have further health and wellness-related projects planned for 2025.
