Cycle challenge to support colleague entering cancer’s ‘last chance saloon’

Staff at Serco Leisure have completed a charity cycle challenge to support Prostate Cancer UK to help their colleague, Justin Butlin, who is entering a critical period of his treatment.

He said: “When I heard the news about this charity challenge, it gave me such a boost. To know people were thinking of me like this. It’s hard to put into words how moved I was. I cannot thank my colleagues enough for this support, and to all the many people who have donated during the course of the challenge."

Justin, from Houghton on the Hill, missed his Wellman Check at 50, as COVID had just hit. If he’d attended, chances are the cancer would have been detected and removed. Treatment for prostate cancer has a very high success rate, if the disease is detected early.

By the time he was diagnosed in September 2022, he was already at stage 4. There is no stage 5.

Justin added: “I’ve described my situation as being in ‘the last chance saloon’ because the chemo drugs I had been on weren’t working. It’s as simple as that. I have recently started on a new drug, which if successful could give me up to two years. If it doesn’t work, that number could be as low as six months.

“If you’re a man in your 40s or 50s, please be vigilant, please read up on the symptoms of this disease. If I’d got that check early on, chances are my cancer would have been spotted. I’m going to keep on fighting till the end, whenever that may be.”

The cycle challenge, named Tour de Serco Leisure, started on the Channel Island of Jersey on July 3, crossed over to Kent, then on to Basingstoke, Stoke Mandeville Stadium and Bisham Abbey, before heading north to Birmingham, Nottingham, Mansfield, Bolton and West Lancashire, finally crossing the Irish Sea to visit three centres in Northern Island. Its final destination was the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex.

Alan Mitchell, communications manager for Serco Leisure, said: “We’ve done various charity challenges at the office over the years, but this is the one that means the most to us, because it’s for Justin. We’ve cycled the distance between each of our leisure centres during the months of July and August, a total of 1,753km, which we completed with a few hours to spare on Thursday August 31 with over £2000 raised for Prostate Cancer Uk."

“We were lucky enough to be gifted an exercise bike by one of our leisure centres in Mansfield back in May, which meant our colleagues Jo Stringfellow and Lisa Luff could start the planning for this.”

Justin popped into the business's Lancer House offices in Leicester back in early July. He spent time with colleagues he’d not seen for years in some cases, and even did 5km on the exercise bike. It was slow going for him, but he wanted to contribute to the growing total.

Justin has worked for Serco Leisure for over 20 years, as leisure centre manager, in business development and now, as a project manager.

Find out more:

Prostate Cancer UK

Prostate Cancer Symptoms NHS