Peterborough hospital trust surgeon takes cancer awareness campaign to England cricket stars in memory of Bob Willis

England cricket stars were left bowled over as a Peterborough surgeon took a cancer awareness campaign on the road.

Macmillan Consultant Urological Surgeon Jyoti Shah MBE – joined by Matron Cliff Hodgkins from North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust – was invited to speak at the recent Professional Cricketers Association Past Player Event at Worcestershire Cricket Club held in partnership with the Bob Wills Fund.

Bob Willis, former England cricket captain and sports broadcaster, died of prostate cancer in 2019 aged 70.

His family set up a Fund in his name to raise funds to support research into prostate cancer, with the hope of the introduction of a nationally accessible, accurate screening programme for the disease which affects one in eight men (and one in four black men) in the UK.

As well as talking to guests, which included around 100 ex-professional cricketers, Miss Shah took her own Fighting Prostate Cancer Campaign message to the awareness and fundraising event – hosted by commentator and former English Test cricketer Mark Butcher.

She said: “I, along with members of the team, was invited by the Bob Willis Fund not only to give a talk about the importance of men getting tested – but to test any volunteers on the day for free as part of the campaign.

“Dozens of men – many of them household names in the cricketing world – were happy to have their PSA blood test done and have a physical examination performed.

“This high-profile fundraising event proves that we can take this important message of testing men in the community to any setting or event.”

Since introducing her Fighting Prostate Cancer campaign in community settings around the UK in 2016, over 3,300 men have been screened – leading to the detection of over 100 cancer cases.

Following on from the success of a series of community prostate health check community clinics over the past few months, Miss Shah and her team hope to be back on the outreach bus at local venues over the summer and autumn.