Men complete mission for prostate cancer charity

Jonathon Wallace (L), Mike Ashwin (second from left), Ben Read (second from right), and Ben Smith (R) completed the challenge in memory of loved ones

Four men whose family members have been diagnosed with prostate cancer have completed a 16-hour golf challenge.

Jonathon Wallace, Mike Ashwin, Ben Read, and Ben Smith played 100 holes on Chipping Sodbury Golf Club in South Gloucestershire in about 16 hours, raising more than £5,000 for charity Prostate Cancer UK.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with the disease, which often does not have any symptoms until the tumour grows - meaning testing for the condition is crucial.

Mr Wallace, whose father and wife's uncle both had the disease, hopes the challenge will encourage people to get checked, saying: "It's just a simple test and you're better off knowing."

"The sooner you know, the better and easier everything is to do with it," he added.

Ben Smith's father in law passed away from prostate cancer two and a half years ago, said Mr Wallace.

"It's so close to our heart that we thought this is the one to do.

"This made the biggest sense to all of us," Mr Wallace said.

It took the group 34.8 miles (56km) and 18 lost balls to complete the feat.

"An incredible feeling of achievement that will last forever," said Mr Wallace. "Life is short. Do stuff that matters."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. It's curable if caught early, but often shows no symptoms. You can check your risk in 30 seconds.

Symptoms

According to the NHS, prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

• needing to pee more frequently, often during the night

• needing to rush to the toilet

• difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)

• straining or taking a long time while peeing

• weak flow

• feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully

• blood in urine or blood in semen