London decorating and DIY specialist Leyland SDM partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support to support them on its annual Men & Cancer campaign which ran from 3 – 17 June 2019. The UK’s leading cancer support charity launched the campaign to highlight that many of the 500 men diagnosed with cancer in the UK every day find it difficult to talk about cancer, with many more struggling to ask for support when they need it most. To increase awareness of the issue and raise vital funds for Macmillan, Leyland SDM  supported the campaign in its 21 stores across London for the two-week campaign.

As well as displaying posters encouraging men to talk about and seek support, each store held a variety of fundraising events for customers such as Bake-offs, ‘Guess the value of the jar’ and raffles where customers had the chance to win various prizes.

Paul Gerreli marketing director of Leyland SDM said: “We’re proud to have supported Macmillan’s Men and Cancer campaign to highlight the things which men with cancer find hard to say. Through the various fundraising events we held in our stores, we hope we’ve encouraged more men to talk about cancer and seek support if they need it, while raising crucial funds for a fantastic cause.”

Allan Harper-Reid, senior cancer information nurse specialist at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “As a man working as a nurse on the Macmillan Support line, I understand first-hand how difficult it can be for men to open up and talk about cancer. They often tell us the support line can be a safe space to do this, and some even prefer to remain anonymous, so that they can discuss things they haven’t felt able to talk about before.

“People with cancer often face the same problems, so why shouldn’t men talk about what affects them? With over 500 men per day diagnosed with cancer, it is not a weakness to ask for help, and talking about your experience can often help others going through the same thing. We often find, at the end of a call, men feel relieved that they have opened up and to have found a safe space to talk, and we’re really proud to be able to offer that to them.”