I’m also a keen (although not very good) tennis player and play mainly in Newton Abbot.

Music is also another great interest and I enjoy the summer months when I can get in my campervan and head off to music festivals (sometimes as a volunteer steward).

In addition to my leisure activities I run a Coaching and Mentoring business,working with a variety of people of all ages, looking at things such as career management, job seeking skills or business development. I moved to Teignmouth in 2018 and currently due to domestic commitments travel between there and Leicester on a regular basis.

Early in 2018 I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer at the age of 59 and elected to have a Prostatectomy in November of that year. Following that I joined a Leicestershire Prostate charity co-ordinating a “Buddy Scheme” where guys who are newly diagnosed or undergoing treatment can be paired up with someone who had gone through the process earlier.

In August 2020 I was elected Chairman of TPSA and am keen to work with my fellow trustees and members to ensure we promote awareness of Prostate Cancer as widely as possible and offer appropriate support to members.

Because of my profession I have held treasurer positions for a few organisations so when I heard the vacancy at TPSA coming up I found myself volunteering my services as a way of giving back something that my cancer treatment has given me.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2018 and decided to go the prostatectomy route with robotic keyhole surgery in October of that year, this followed by a full course of 33 radiotherapy sessions to “mop up”. By June 2019 my PSA was down to 0.01. My level stayed like this until late 2021 when it started to rise again and after tests was found to have metastasised in my spine. After consultation with Dr Lydon I was put on the drug Apalutamide which is working well having brought my level back down to 0.02 with no side effects apart from the usual hot flushes.

I am greatly impressed with the work that TPSA does in raising awareness and raising funds for hospital equipment etc, and look forward to being your treasurer.

I had Hormone Therapy, High Dose Brachytherapy & External Beam Radiotherapy.

During, & after, active treatment I gained much from talking with other men, learning from their experiences. I also gained much from contacting the Specialist Nurses at Prostate Cancer UK.

Thus, my motivation for being a Trustee of TPSA is to enable the continuing existence of a local group. I am a great believer in our ability to learn, & gain support, from each other. We also need to ensure that the best services are available locally.

I have a BA Honours Degree in Political Theory and Institutions and Social Policy from Sheffield University; I am a Member of the Institute of Fundraising and am a Fellow of the School of Social Entrepreneurs.

Married with two children, I have lived in Torbay/South Devon all my life.
My hobbies and interests include watching Torquay United, rambling, social history and politics.

Now retired, I enjoy videography, DIY, keeping abreast with Trust and Probate law and helping friends and neighbours with a range of problems and generally enjoying life with my lovely wife, Gill, of over 50 years, and holidays with our family and grandchildren.  I hope to use both my varied working experiences and my brush with Prostate Cancer to the advantage of the TPSA in helping to support others and I am excited by the prospect of being a trustee for the TPSA.

Although enjoyable and fulfilling, remuneration was poor and as our children continued education at University, I returned to Office life at Midland Bank (now HSBC) as an Investment Secretary until my retirement in 2005.  We returned to Torbay in 2007 to help our daughter with her young family. I love time spent doing photography and painting and regularly attend art classes. Until painful knees and back set in, I enjoyed gardening and we both loved the cruising life up until Covid and Mike’s Prostate Cancer diagnosis in 2020.

I am aware how important my support has been not only to Mike’s well-being, but also in supporting him through his treatment. Following a request at the recent AGM for more people to support the local TPSA Group, I offered my help as a Trustee. In this role I hope I can improve awareness of Prostate Cancer and the importance of PSA testing.  Also, I hope I can encourage more wives, partners and family members to become involved, as I believe they have an important role to play before and during treatment and may well welcome the opportunity to share their experiences in a friendly environment.

I am keen to continue my fathers legacy, he helped to establish the TPSA in 1999 when he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Mum and I have learnt about Prostate Cancer over the years, especially the changes in treatments during the past twenty years. It is an honour to be a trustee of such a worthwhile charity and to offer support to those who have been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, as well as their family members.