Prostate cancer support group gets cash boost from North Lincolnshire Freemasons

A prostate cancer support group set up by two Freemasons more than a dozen years ago has been given more than £1,500 by members of two north Lincolnshire Freemasons Lodges.

Prostate Cancer (Lincs & Humber) will use the money to buy a gazebo to help take its message of support to shows and events as its work continues to highlight the need for men to get tested for prostate issues.

Martin Garfitt has supported the group since the beginning, and says its members have undoubtedly saved the lives of men with whom they’ve come into contact. He said: “There are people who had a PSA blood test after our encouragement and found they needed treatment. There’s no doubt we’ve saved lives. One man had been diagnosed and was given options of treatment including radiotherapy and robotic surgery. He was undecided, worried about the outcome and scared. He came to one of our meetings and spoke to a number of survivors. They reassured him, and made his mind up. By the following meeting he had undergone robotic surgery to have his prostate removed, and the month after that he’d recovered enough to come to our meeting to thank us all and sent this message on our what’s app group: “Hi guys just wanted to say a big thankyou again to you all. It’s an amazing thing you guys do and I have benefited massively. I’m not sure where I would have been if you guys had not been meeting that day. Cheers to you all.” He’s just one of many we have helped throughout the years.”

Martin added: “Early testing and diagnosis is vital in beating prostate cancer. Caught early enough, action can be taken, but if it’s left too late there is often only one outcome.” One of the group’s founders died from prostate cancer because his diagnosis didn’t come in time; the other is a survivor because he was diagnosed early enough for surgery almost 20 years ago.

The group was given £500 by Scunthorpe’s Lodge of St John and £1,550 by Trent Valley Daylight Lodge from Crowle. Both Lodges committed £500 from the Lincolnshire Freemasons’ New Provincial Benevolent Fund, and Trent Valley added a further £550 raised from a ladies’ afternoon and a donation from the Lodge Master.

The benevolent fund has been giving every Lincolnshire Freemasons Lodge £500 every year to pass on to the good cause of its choice, meaning that £38,000 has been given to the community every year for the last five years – but starting next year that amount will be doubled, meaning £76,000 made possible by Freemasons’ donations will be shared by potentially more than 150 good causes from Barton on the banks of the Humber in the north to Deeping, near The Wash, in the south.

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