We are looking for our supporters to join us in Friday night fun ! We are asking you all to donate the price of a pint (well we’ve said £3 which is a cheap pint) and help us raise vital funds to help people with cancer. #PintsWithAPurpose

So please get your friends and family to raise a pint to say BALLS TO CANCER !

Just text the word PINT to 70460 to donate £3

We have to thank the brilliant PB Entertainment and the Crown Pub in Sedgley for holding a Peaky Blinders night to raise much needed funds for us.

The night was a filled with the brilliantly dressed members of their Peaky Blinders group with lots of Pecky themed fun.

We met the gang at the Crown last week to collect the donation.

Massive thank you to the Crown and the Peaky Blinders!!

We are looking for sponsors for our Balls to Cancer Ladies football team for the new 2025/2026 season.

Our kit sponsors will get free advertising on website and weekly mentions on our social media outlets to our national and international followers.

Every player will not only wear your brand on their shirts but they also will have your brand on their Player profile cards, which will be used week in week out for scorers and player of the match.

So do you think you could fit the bill, want the extra advertising? Check out our discounted pre season prices below.

Home kit sponsor £850

Away kit sponsor £850

Individual player sponsor (not including kit) £85

Get in touch today by email to contact@ballstocancer.com or WhatsApp on 07882110625

Since we sadly lost our friend, ambassador and supporter Simon, his wife Amy and her amazing family and friends have been raising money for us in his name.

Last year they were our top fundraisers and they are heading that way again for 2025! They are certainly are doing him proud.

Just some of the great fundraising they have done has included Amy’s sister Helen who ran the London marathon !! Paul Burns £346.00 with a Sudoku challenge, The Forresters Arms who raised £460.00 with a fundraising weekend!

They continue to work really hard to raise funds to keep our holiday homes open as Simon loved his break down in Burnham with his wonderful family.

Thank you all and thank you Simon.

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have been chosen as the charity of the year 25/26 for the Black Country Housing group. They ask members of their team to nominate charities close to their hearts and we were thankfully nominated by our good friend Lucy. Thankfully they all agreed we were just what they were looking for as we helped and supported many local families whilst they were being treated.

The Black Country Housing Group are a local housing association that provides affordable housing and work closely with the local communities in Birmingham and the Black Country. More details of their great work can be found here

We cant thank them enough for choosing us and we are truly honoured

Our Balls to Cancer FC mens team start the 24/25 season with a brilliant new sponsor, Consort Architectural Hardware are an innovator in the world of Architectural Ironmongery.

Here’s more about this great company….

Founded in 1970, Consort Architectural Hardware has established itself as a leader in providing highly engineered, quality hardware that meets the most stringent industry standards. What began as a modest ironmongery business in a small Birmingham warehouse has grown into a global brand, operating across four continents.Consort’s products are now integral to iconic buildings and projects worldwide, known for their exceptional functionality and design. The company’s passion for innovation is evident in its continuous development of new, bespoke products, ambitious sustainability initiatives, and attainment of safety certifications.Consort offers one of the most comprehensive and certified ranges on the market, encompassing both European and American standards. Their team of qualified professionals ensures that each product meets precise project requirements, providing unparalleled support and technical guidance.Despite its expansion, Consort remains family-owned and operated, maintaining a small-business ethos that values every customer and emphasises the integrity of each product. Their hardware and fittings are designed for long-term performance, reducing waste and protecting both investments and the environment.

Please find and follow these guys on all their socials and checkout their website

http://www.consort-hw.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ConsortHW

https://www.linkedin.com/company/consort-middle-east-llc

With a great thank you to the guys at The Seven Stars public house in Sedgley, we are able to celebrate the Bank Holiday Weekend with a Cider festival at their beautiful pub.

The event starts at 12pm and continues until 4pm with great cider, great food and music from ambassadors and local DJ Scott Lyons and producer Dave and live music from The brilliant W!red

So get yourself down there and join in the fun and help us raise money to help families with cancer

Experts have called for “urgent” research into why cancer cases are rising in younger people.Cancer incidence rates among those aged under 50 have jumped by 24% between the early 1990s and 2019, according to new analysis by Cancer Research.

Increased exposure to known as well as unknown cancer risk factors, changes to lifestyles and diets over time, and rising obesity may all contribute to the uptick in early-onset cancer,” Professor Swanton said.”Around four in 10 cancer cases are preventable, and there are steps people can take to help reduce their cancer risk.

According to the analysis, the number of cancer cases on average in people aged 25 to 49 is expected to rise to more than 34,000 a year by 2040, up from the 32,659 estimated between 2023 and 2025.”We urgently need more research to unlock the answers and understand why cancer cases are rising in younger people not only in the UK, but globally too,” Professor Swanton said.

By Claire Gilbody Dickerson, news reporter

An NHS.uk webpage offering advice on the possible signs and symptoms of cancer has seen a jump of over 50% in the number of visits since news broke of the King’s recent diagnosis.

Latest figures from NHS England reveal that, in the 24 hours following the Buckingham Palace announcement, visits to the page on cancer signs and symptoms rose to 14,668 compared to a daily average of 9,737 last week (29 – 30 January) – an increase of 51%.

Visitor numbers peaked in the hour following the initial statement, with 1,530 visits being made to the page – an average of one visit every three seconds.

The NHS.uk cancer pages include information on lifestyle changes people can make to reduce their chances of getting cancer, as well advice on spotting early signs and symptoms of the disease and treatment options.

NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Peter Johnson said: “Talking about cancer helps save lives, and having more people looking at advice like this on how to spot the possible signs and symptoms of cancer is really important.

“One in two of us will develop some form of cancer in our lifetime – but thanks to continued progress, more cancers are now being diagnosed at an early stage than ever before and survival rates are at an all-time high.

“Detecting cancer early gives people the best chance of successful treatment, so I would encourage anyone to visit their GP if they have worrying symptoms, and to take up screening appointments when they receive them.”

Changes to your body’s normal processes or unusual, unexplained symptoms can sometimes be an early sign of cancer. Symptoms that need to be checked by a doctor include a lump that suddenly appears on your body, unexplained bleeding and changes to your bowel habits.

In many cases symptoms will not be related to cancer and will be caused by other, non-cancerous health conditions, but finding cancer early means it’s easier to treat.

The NHS is seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer with almost 3 million people receiving potentially lifesaving cancer checks in the last year alone.

Making some simple changes to your lifestyle, such as healthy eating, taking regular exercise and not smoking, can also significantly reduce your risk of developing cancer.

The NHS.uk website is the UK’s biggest health website and receives an average of two million visits each day from people seeking information and advice. It includes over 4,000 pages and provides information about 990 medical conditions.

Source NHS England

The NHS is offering routine preventative bowel cancer screening to thousands of people in England with a genetic condition that increases their chance of developing certain cancers.This is a world-first move by the health service to help reduce cases and identify bowel cancers earlier when successful treatment and cure is more likely.As part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, people with Lynch syndrome are now invited for bowel surveillance every two years, where they are seen by a specialist team and assessed for a colonoscopy which checks for polyps and signs of bowel cancer.Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition that increases the risk of certain cancers, including bowel, ovarian and pancreatic, but out of 100 people with Lynch syndrome, screening prevents between 40 and 60 people from getting bowel cancer.Around 10,000 people in England are on the Lynch syndrome register and are being invited to join Lynch surveillance as part of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, and with many more unknowingly living with the disease, thousands of extra cancers will potentially be diagnosed and treated earlier.The routine colonoscopies will be offered at local bowel cancer screening centres, close to peoples’ homes making it more convenient for people to get tested.The health service also has a dedicated genetic testing programme for the condition and now almost all people diagnosed with bowel and endometrial cancer receive the initial test to check for Lynch syndrome – 94% on average between 2021-2023 which is up from 47% in 2019.A diagnosis for Lynch syndrome not only helps guide more personalised cancer treatment but enables their families and relatives to be offered testing too.Around 1,100 bowel cancers are caused by Lynch syndrome each year in England – and it is thought the syndrome increases the lifetime risk of developing bowel cancer up to around 80%.Steve Russell, national director of screening and vaccinations for the NHS, said: “Our successful bowel cancer screening programme already helps identify thousands of cancers each year, and now thousands more people who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will also be given regular colonoscopies to check for signs of cancer and to detect the disease earlier.“Ensuring people who we know are at a greater risk of developing cancers get regular screening is key to diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage, and I’d encourage everyone invited to come forward and get their screening at a local centre near them.”Dr Robert Logan, NHS England’s national speciality adviser for endoscopy and bowel screening, said: “This is great news for patients with Lynch syndrome – not only has genetic testing for the condition increased massively in less than five years, but we are also ensuring that patients diagnosed with Lynch syndrome are then guaranteed to get the high quality surveillance colonoscopy they need from the national screening programme. This is the first time any country has been able to deliver such a comprehensive joined up approach to diagnosis and early intervention for one of the most common hereditable cancer syndromes.”Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK, says: “With the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme managing Lynch syndrome surveillance we expect to see a vast improvement in the experience and outcomes for people with the condition.“Those who have been diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will now have regular access to high-quality colonoscopy tests regardless of where they live in England.“As the first country in the world to implement a programme like this we are leading the way in improving the care of people with Lynch syndrome and ultimately saving lives.”It is estimated that 1 in 400 people in England have Lynch syndrome (equivalent to around 175,000 people), but just 5% are aware they are living with the condition.People with Lynch syndrome are more likely to develop multiple cancers and be diagnosed at a younger age. For example, bowel cancer is most common in those aged over 50 but in someone younger, it may be a sign of Lynch syndrome.The NHS is now able to identify the condition through a simple blood test, which then goes through a regional genomic laboratory hub, is sequenced, and then sent back to the referring clinician.Relatives who receive a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome can be referred to genetic services to discuss regular testing options to help catch any cancers as early as possible, as well as to consider preventive options such as taking aspirin or undergoing risk-reducing surgery.While the syndrome does not directly cause cancer, the genetic changes can lead to more abnormal cells developing, which then multiply and increase the risk of developing cancers, such as bowel, prostate and endometrial, among others.Nicola Theis from Cheltenham is a university lecturer and was diagnosed with Lynch syndrome following her dad’s diagnosis with the hereditary condition.She is now receiving regular preventative screening from NHS bowel cancer screening services and as a mum of two young children, she explains why this is so important.“It all started when my dad was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer in 2019 and only given months to live, which you can imagine was devastating for our family.“I’d researched the importance of genetics in finding the most appropriate treatment options and after his results confirmed his cancer was linked to Lynch syndrome, he began receiving immunotherapy and incredibly this treatment began to shrink his tumour.“Miraculously, he was cancer free in less than a year and his scans have been clear since. I’m so happy he’s still with us.“After that, I was tested and diagnosed with Lynch syndrome too. Being part of the screening programme gives me the confidence that any cancers that may develop can be caught earlier when they’re more treatable.“It’s great that thanks to the NHS’s Lynch syndrome screening programme, more people like me and my dad will be regularly checked for bowel and other cancers.“If you think you might have Lynch syndrome, I’d really encourage you to discuss it with your GP. It could save your life.”Professor Peter Johnson, clinical director for cancer at the NHS said: “Bowel cancer is now the most third common cancer in this country, with cases rising year on year, but it also tends to be one of the harder cancers to detect at an early stage because signs and symptoms usually appear later. This is why the NHS has rolled out a national bowel cancer screening programme to detect cancers earlier and ensure people can be treated sooner – which has now been expanded to include people with Lynch syndrome.“As well as people coming forward for regular screening when invited by the NHS, it’s also important to remain vigilant of any potential symptoms such as a persistent change in bowel habits, blood in the poo, and abdominal pain – if you do notice any of these changes, please do come forward for checks at your GP surgery – getting checked saves lives.”Health Minister, Andrew Stephenson said: “Identification and follow up of people at high risk of cancer is an important and ever-more feasible strand of our efforts to reduce deaths and illness from cancer.“Today’s announcement means that those with Lynch syndrome can be routinely screened for bowel cancer, helping to identify potential issues in a timely way as part of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme. This means that the NHS has a better chance of finding cancers at a time when they can be more easily and effectively treated.“The NHS has seen and treated record numbers of cancer patients over the past two years. As we drive forward our long term plan for the NHS we are seeing survival rates improve across almost all types of cancer, but we know we must go further to ensure that we catch cancer earlier and increase chances of survival.”Tracy Smith, Trustee at Lynch syndrome UK, said: “Introducing Lynch syndrome patients to the National Bowel Screening Programme ensures that high risk patients receive regular surveillance in a timely manner and potential cancers are more likely to be caught earlier, thus saving lives.”Dr Kevin Monahan, lead for the NHS England Lynch syndrome transformation project, said: “Incorporating people with Lynch syndrome into the national colonoscopy screening programme is game-changing and will save many lives each year. It will deliver prevention and early diagnosis of bowel cancer through timely and high-quality colonoscopy. Now diagnosis of this hereditary condition in England will be linked to lifelong patient-focused care.”

Source NHS England