TV presenter brings hope to cancer survivor choir
Members of a male choir made up of prostate cancer survivors have said a BBC TV presenter's public journey with the condition is helping to "break barriers".
Nick Owen was appointed MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for his services to charity and broadcasting.
The 76-year-old underwent treatment for prostate cancer last year and spoke publicly about his experience which saw a surge in people being tested for the disease.
Now, the Kidderminster Male Choir has teamed up with the Wyre Men Sing project - which includes prostate cancer survivors - ahead of a gala concert to raise money for a charity which supports those with the condition.
Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Kidderminster and Worcestershire Prostate Cancer Support Group which is helping to provide access to free prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing.
It is set to take place at St George’s Church in Kidderminster on 29 June.
In the UK, about one in eight men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime, according to Prostate Cancer UK, with the condition mainly affecting men over the age of 50.
The risk is even higher for black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer.
Ian Didcock, a member of the Kidderminster Male Choir, was diagnosed five years ago and underwent a 30-day course of radiotherapy treatment.
He said: "It's frightening to start with, when you're first told that you have prostate cancer. You think, 'well this is the beginning of the end'.
"Hearing Nick's story makes you feel that you are not alone. No matter where you are in the hierarchy of the world, this can happen to you."
Mr Didcock is now awaiting the results of his latest PSA test to find out if he is clear of the cancer.
Adrian Evans of Wyre Men Sing said he had no prostate cancer symptoms and only found out due to a blood test.
After having surgery, he says he is now cancer free and is calling for a nationwide screening programme to be set up.
He said: "Well done to him [Mr Owen] for publicising and informing everybody of what was going on.
"Hopefully it breaks some barriers and as they say, 'don't die of embarrassment, go and get diagnosed'."
Mary Symons, from Kidderminster and Worcestershire Prostate Cancer Support Group, said: "Nick has given us so much support in the past and helped us through some very difficult problems.
"He's been a good friend to the group for a long, long time."
After working in regional television, Mr Owen was one of the first faces on national breakfast TV in the UK in 1983.
Just eight weeks after the launch of ITV breakfast station TV-am, Mr Owen - the sports reader on day one - stepped into Sir David Frost's shoes as the main male host on the sofa.
He went onto co-present with Anne Diamond - a partnership that later featured on the BBC in Good Morning with Anne and Nick in the 1990s.
The former ITV sports programme presenter has been one of the main hosts of BBC Midlands Today since 1997.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk
