2024 has been an amazing year. We celebrated 25 years of The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health, and presented the charity’s founding fathers with an award to recogonise their achievements . Here’s just a few more of the things that we’ve been up to over the past year.
Support group trips
Our support group enjoyed a few trips together, including workshops and exhibition tours at The Box in Plymouth, and a trip over the water to meet the wildlife (and ghosts!) on Drake’s Island. Our free support group meets every month, giving men’s cancer patients and their loved ones a space to find mutual support and hear from guest speakers.
2024 also saw the first ever meeting of our Wives and Partner Support Group (WAP), which aims to create a supportive space for people who are helping their loved ones through cancer diagnosis and treatment. Just as with our patients’ support group, these meetings and trips are funded by donations so that they’re free to access for those who need them.
Rob Shaw joins the team
This year we welcomed a new charity ambassador! Rob Shaw is a triathlete and two-time testicular cancer survivor who’s come on board to help us spread awareness and support other young men. You can click here to read Rob’s story, which is a real example of how important it is to get checked and catch cancer earlier.
The Chestnut Forest
As part of our 25th birthday celebrations, we partnered with construction company MTX to plant hundreds of trees at a site in Devon. MTX are the company behind the Chestnut Urological Investigations Unit that was unveiled at Derriford Hospital in 2023. The Chestnut Forest collaboration aims to offset the carbon footprint generated by the Unit’s construction, whilst symbolising a mutual commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Choirs
It’s always a treat when we can get some local talent involved in our fundraising events! In April, the Nankersey Male Choir and the Mousehole Male Voice Choir sang in aid of The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health in Falmouth. We had a musical fundraiser in Plymouth, too, where the Tamar Concert Choir kept us entertained with Christmas classics to usher in the festive season. We also paid a visit to the Launceston Male Voice Choir in October, who presented us with a generous donation which they’d raised via a charity performance.
Swims!
All but one of our iconic sea swims went ahead this year, with the weather unfortunately being against us for the Looe Island event. Hundreds of swimmers took on the open-water swim challenges in epic locations across Devon and Cornwall, raising a staggering net total of around £75,000. Registration for our 2025 swim events is now live, and we can’t wait to see how many of you take on one or more of these fantastic fundraising challenges next summer.
Isles of Scilly
In 2024, The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health went to the Isles of Scilly for the first time! We met with medics and patients to find out how we can best support islanders and raise awareness of testicular, penile and prostate cancer.
Bike nights
Every year, the organisers of Plymouth Bike Nights donate the money they raise through their events to The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health. Across 2024, they raised a fantastic £5,600! This money will fund the holiday home in Looe for a season, meaning that we can continue to offer free respite holidays for cancer patients and their families.
Specialist staff
Part of our work involves funding specialist cancer staff that can extend and elevate the services that the NHS is able to offer. In 2024, we opened a specialist continence clinic at Derriford Hospital to help men manage the symptoms of bladder incontinence resulting from cancer treatment. The clinic’s being run by specially trained nurse India Manley, whose time is being funded by The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health. In Cornwall, we’re also funding one day a week for a Prostate Specialist Radiographer at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. Radiographer Liz Richardson will help expand the hospital’s screening capacity, meaning men won’t have to wait as long for diagnosis or for update scans during treatment.
Specialist equipment
We also fund the latest equipment to make the detection and treatment of cancers easier. In December, we paid a visit to see the brand new bladder scanner that we’ve funded for Derriford Hospital’s radiology department. Having a bladder scan is an important part of preparing for radiotherapy, so this new piece of equipment will help to speed up treatment time for cancer patients. It’s thanks to our donors and supporters that we can fund this kind of equipment, which will make such a difference to cancer patients’ treatment. What a lovely Christmas gift this is for staff and patients in Devon – thank you!
Magic Gala Ball
We held a glitzy night of drinks, dancing and magic to celebrate 25 years of The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health – and to thank all those who support us. The evening was coordinated by local magic man Lewis Belcher, who assembled a mystifying line-up of magicians to enchant guests throughout the evening. Cornwall music legends Land of the Giants were on-hand to make sure everyone was dancing well into the night, and it was a fantastic opportunity for everyone who works so hard to let their hair down.
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s helped out, come to an event, donated or just shared a post on social media. As a charity, we’re completely funded by donations from the community, and rely on local support to help us with events and fundraising. Thank you – and here’s to an even better 2025!
If you or someone you know is affected by prostate, testicular or penile cancer, our free patient and family support groups across Devon and Cornwall offer a space to connect with others who understand what you’re going through.
