Oxfordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group
Newsletter
31st. March 2014
AGM. There was a tremendous turnout at the AGM on 3 March. After elections had confirmed the current committee and three new committee members had been elected (Tony Puddifoot, Ruth Mason, Gwilym Mason), members heard a fascinating presentation by leading urologist Simon Brewster about new treatments for PC including the introduction of brachytherapy to Oxford. Questions and answers rounded off a lively evening, our best attended yet.
Future Group Meetings to be held at Oxford Golf Club from 6.30 p.m. for 7.00 p.m.onwards:
Monday 14 April: Mark Lodge, Director, International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research, will talk about “Men like us: Prostate Cancer in Developing Countries”. This should be a fascinating insight into the treatment of cancer in conditions very different from our own.
Monday 2 June: Professor Eila Watson, Brookes University, will return to give an update on the research she is doing with PCa patients, and Prasanna Sooriakumaran, Senior Fellow (Senior Clinical Researcher) in Robotic Surgery & Urology, Oxford University, will ask for OPCSG members to take part in his newest research project.
Sunday 29 June: 2.30 p.m. - River cruise from Abingdon Bridge with jazz and cream tea at a cost of £15 per person. To reserve places please email me at john@grundybell.demon.co.uk or ring 01865 730110. Payment will be due by 31 May and you will be told later where to send your cheques.
Monday 1 September: This meeting will be an open forum and social quiz.
Monday 13 October: subject to be announced.
There will also be a skittles evening in late November/early December, details to be announced.
News
We are particularly pleased that the Banbury group, a long planned development, has come into existence, led by Tony Puddifoot. Anyone in the Banbury area wanting further details of their meetings, to be held on the first Wednesday of each month, should contact Tony on tonypuddifoot@aol.com or 01295 252380.
Volunteers please! As usual OPCSG will be attending many outdoor events over the summer period to raise awareness of prostate cancer. Volunteers are always welcome. It can be a rewarding experience to share personal experience with others and spread the word for men to get checked, while at the same time having an afternoon at an event. The dates are:
6 April, 5.15 p.m. onwards – ice hockey match at Oxford Ice Rink.
19 April – Sainsbury’s, Chipping Norton, awareness event
21 April – Old Berks point-to-point, Lockinge near Wantage A particular need for helpers on this day please!
10 May – Bloxfest music festival
30 June – Cassington Bike Night
19, 20 July – West Oxon Steam and Vintage Show, Ducklington
10 August – Finmere Show
October – Banbury Boat Day
If you can help at any of these events please contact Bob Butler on 01865 881697 or John Goldsmith on 01865 580152.
At the AGM and a subsequent Committee meeting your Chairman Dave Beesley expressed his delight at how far OPCSG had come in three years from scratch. We expect soon to have 200 members and we know several men whose fears and concerns about a diagnosis of PCa have been dispelled by discussion with members and friends. Please do all you can to spread the word: if you use the internet send our website address to your friends, http://www.opcsg.org/homepage, and let us know if you would like copies of our leaflets to give to people or display somewhere where they may be seen.
If you attended the AGM you will know that George Goldsmith has expressed the wish to reduce the many hours he devotes to OPCSG work. George will remain as Secretary for one more year but together with other Committee members I am taking on some of his administration tasks to lighten the load, this Newsletter being one of them. If you email OPCSG at secopcsg@btinternet.com you may get a reply from either of us!
Kind regards,
John Grundy
Vice Chairman, OPCSG