At R. Bensons the health and wellbeing of our people remains a top priority. Throughout Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we delivered a programme of awareness, education and early detection initiatives across the business.
We were proud to host Errol McKellar MBE, founder of the Errol McKellar Foundation who delivered a powerful and personal presentation to our teams. During his presentation Errol shared his lived experience of prostate cancer, highlighting:
- The critical importance of early diagnosis
- The need to challenge stigma around men’s health
- Why regular checks and open conversations can save lives
His honest and engaging talk resonated strongly with everyone in attendance, reinforcing a vital message: early diagnosis is essential so get checked.
Watch Errol McKellar’s presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3mXMKRAkqY
“If sharing my story encourages just one person to get tested earlier, then it’s worth it. Early detection gives you options—and it saves lives.”
Errol McKellar MBE
PSA Testing Across Our Sites
To support early detection, we provided PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) testing for all employees across the business throughout the month, we also invited clients and neighbouring businesses to attend the events.
This initiative ensured that colleagues could:
- Access convenient, on-site health screening
- Better understand their individual risk
- Take proactive steps towards managing their health
Participation was excellent across all sites with over 150 free tests taking place and a further 110 distributed to friends, family and clients.
“Making testing accessible across our sites removed a huge barrier. It’s about giving our colleagues the opportunity to take control of their health in a simple, supportive way.” Mark Martin, Head of Compliance
Why It Matters
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with around 1 in 8 men diagnosed in their lifetime.
It’s more common as you get older, and the risk is higher for men from a black African or Caribbean background and those with a family history. One of the challenges is that early prostate cancer often doesn’t show any symptoms, which is why awareness and testing are so important.
Our Commitment to Wellbeing
This initiative forms part of our wider approach to employee wellbeing and creating an environment where health is openly discussed, supported and prioritised.
“Our responsibility goes beyond the workplace. Supporting initiatives like this ensures our colleagues feel valued, informed and empowered to look after their health. Following the positive engagement from all of our staff we will be making this an annual event with free testing available to all male staff.” Marcus Neal, Director
By bringing awareness, expert insight and practical support together, we are helping our colleagues take informed steps towards protecting their health.
We will continue to build on this momentum, ensuring our people have access to the right information, resources and support when it matters most.