A comedian, an Olympian and two cricket legends walk onto a trading floor…

Comedian Michael McIntyre, Olympic swimmer Mark Foster and cricket legends Sir Clive Lloyd and Sir Viv Richards took to the trading floor, making calls and deals to raise thousands of pounds for Prostate Cancer Research.

PCR was proud to return to BGC Charity Day for a second year, joining celebrities and traders on the phones to raise vital funds and awareness of prostate cancer.

BGC Charity Day is held each year in memory of the BGC colleagues who lost their lives in the World Trade Centre attacks on 11 September 2001. Celebrities join BGC’s traders for the day, helping to raise millions for charities around the world.

For PCR, the day also carries a very personal significance.

Our relationship with RP Martin began following the death of much-loved colleague Ed McCambridge from prostate cancer. Ed had asked his family to support Prostate Cancer Research because of our focus on targeted research, and over the years his family, friends and former colleagues have continued to raise funds in his memory.

Ed’s sister Anne and niece Sarah joined us at BGC Charity Day this year.

“It was an honour to attend the BGC Charity Day. Being able to see the place where Ed spent so much of his working life and meet some of his old colleagues, eight years after we lost him, is incredibly special to our family.

“Before Ed died he chose and asked us to support PCR because of their focus on targeted research. Seeing how much the charity has grown since then and how much money has been raised in his name makes days like BGC Charity Day even more meaningful.

“To Andy and everyone at RP Martin, thank you for making this possible. We are so grateful to have been invited and to see Ed’s legacy continue to make a difference. It’s days like this that reinforce what a special man Ed was and how many lives he continues to impact.”
– Anne & Sarah O’Leary

Andy Manston of RP Martin said the relationship with Prostate Cancer Research began with the “sad loss” of a much-loved colleague and had continued through golf days, the London Marathon and other fundraising events.

“The BGC 9/11 Charity Day is the perfect platform for PCR to up its profile whilst raising significant funds to aid its work. We are delighted to be a part of this process.”
– Andy Manston, RP Martin

As well as raising money, we wanted to use the extraordinary energy of the trading floor to start conversations about prostate cancer.

Our message throughout the day was simple: Make One More Call.

After making calls and deals for Charity Day, we asked people to call a mate, their dad, their brother or someone else they care about and encourage them to know their prostate cancer risk.

Michael McIntyre also helped spread that message on the day, encouraging men not to wait for symptoms and to think about their prostate health.

“[Prostate cancer] is silent killer because you may not have any symptoms…the only thing you can do is test for it and once you hit 50 it’s very important you do that because1 in 8 people do get this.’’
– Michael McIntyre

For Black men the risk is higher, with 1 in 4 developing prostate cancer.

The money raised through BGC Charity Day will help support Empowering Communities, our programme working with Black communities to address some of the stark inequalities that contribute to poorer prostate cancer outcomes.

The programme is designed around sustained, community-led work: strengthening partnerships with trusted organisations; creating community trust hubs and opportunities to speak to clinicians; improving cultural responsiveness in healthcare and research; and ensuring health information is created with the communities it is intended to reach.

Importantly, the ambition goes beyond a single year. By investing in local ambassadors, community organisations and shared learning, we want to build the relationships and infrastructure needed for longer-term change.

Oliver Kemp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer Research, said:

“Support like BGC Charity Day gives organisations like ours the confidence to keep innovating rather than simply protecting what already exists. It allows us to test new ideas, reach people in different ways and invest in approaches that could ultimately transform how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated.

“Every pound raised gives us more freedom to take those opportunities forward, at a time when that kind of flexible funding is especially valuable.”

A huge thank you to BGC Group, RP Martin, Michael McIntyre, Mark Foster, Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Viv Richards, Anne and Sarah, and everyone who picked up the phone, made a deal or supported Prostate Cancer Research on the day.

The money raised will help drive progress, but the conversations started on the trading floor matter too. Raising awareness of prostate cancer and encouraging people to share what they know with the men in their lives can help save lives.

As Tony Collier, a patient representative living with prostate cancer, explains:

“Workplace awareness is a great way to improve reach, especially if the audience is anyone who is or knows a man aged 45 or over. Women and younger people can be evangelists too, spreading our message to their loved ones.”