Grŵp Llandrillo Menai provides free, on-site PSA screening for staff

Aiming to shatter the silence around men’s health Grŵp Llandrillo Menai offered free prostate cancer screening to more than 60 staff in collaboration with North Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai has taken a pioneering step in employee care by teaming up with the North Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group to provide free, on-site Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) screening.

More than 60 male members of staff stepped up to get tested across three college sites: Glynllifon, Llangefni, and Rhos-on-Sea. With results delivered in just 24 hours, the initiative aims to shatter the silence around men’s health and will hopefully now become an annual event.

The driving force: Haydn’s story

The inspiration behind the testing days came directly from within the college community. Haydn Jones, a Workshop Technician at Glynllifon, was diagnosed with prostate cancer despite having absolutely no symptoms. Following his successful treatment, Haydn built a strong relationship with the North Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group.

Determined to protect his colleagues, Haydn teamed up with his manager, Martin Jardine, to launch an internal awareness campaign. What started as desktop posters and peer support rapidly evolved into securing funding to offer the recent PSA tests.

Reflecting on the importance of the initiative, Haydn said:

“I didn’t have any symptoms and felt fairly healthy at the time. I didn’t know I had prostate cancer until my GP told me after my second PSA blood test that my score had gone up and he was referring me to Ysbyty Gwynedd. From here on, I know the PSA test is vital.”

When Jenny and Martin mentioned the college was going to put these tests in place, I felt it was a major step forward for the college and its male workforce. I cannot emphasise enough the need for this to be an annual event for all men over 40.”

The power of workplace testing

Carrying out the tests on-site were David Maitland-Price and Neil Ackers from the North Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group, alongside nurse Sarah, who also volunteered her time.

Neil Ackers knows firsthand the power of workplace testing. A former North Wales Police officer, Neil was diagnosed at age 51 through a similar workplace initiative, also with zero symptoms. He is quick to debunk the dangerous myth that prostate cancer is always a slow-moving illness.

“You always hear people say, ‘If you’re going to get cancer, get prostate cancer, because it’s slow-growing.’ That is absolute rubbish,” Neil warns. “In my case, it grew in a couple of weeks to three cubic centimetres and started to spread. I went from stage one to stage three in a matter of weeks. The surgeon told me, ‘Neil, if we hadn’t taken your prostate out when we did, you wouldn’t be here by Christmas.'”

Neil is full of praise for the college’s proactive approach to staff wellbeing, emphasizing that early intervention is everything.

“Don’t ever underestimate the power of it. If even just one person gets a red result and finds out they have prostate cancer, you have saved that person’s life. You’ve given them an early intervention before the symptoms arrive, which is often when it’s too late. The staff really value being looked after by their employer, men in particular.”

Get support & advice

If you or a loved one have been affected by prostate cancer, or if you would like to learn more about arranging a testing event, please reach out to the dedicated team at the North Wales Prostate Cancer Support Group: