Plymouth Albion, The Chestnut Appeal and Diversity Business team up to tackle health inequality
Plymouth Albion, The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health and Diversity Business Incubator have teamed up to increase diversity in rugby’s fanbase while tackling health inequalities.
As part of the partnership, Albion will engage with members of Plymouths Black community to help grow a fanbase that better reflects the city’s population.
An overarching aim of the project is also to increase awareness of prostate cancer among Black men, who are twice as likely to develop the disease. As well as spreading awareness throughout the season, on 11th April The Chestnut Appeal will be at Plymouth Albion’s penultimate match day to offer free PSA blood tests at the ground.
The PSA is a blood test which measures levels of a hormone called prostate specific antigen. A high PSA can sometimes be a warning sign of prostate cancer, allowing doctors to catch the illness early.
This aim is particularly significant in light of the UK National Screening Committee’s announcement last November that it would not recommend the NHS implement targeted screening for those at high risk of prostate cancer. This means that high risk individuals, including Black men, will still need to ask their GP for a PSA test rather than being automatically flagged for screening.
Through this project, Plymouth Albion, The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health and Diversity Business Incubator hope to spread awareness among Black men of the risks of prostate cancer, tackle health inequality, and widen engagement with a much-loved sport.
“Albion is proud to sit at the heart of our community, and with that comes a responsibility to use our platform for good. This partnership allows us to make our fanbase more representative of the city we serve, whilst putting a spotlight on a serious health inequality that disproportionately affects Black men. If opening our gates to new supporters helps save lives through greater awareness and early detection, then that’s something we’re incredibly proud to support.”
James Greenacre, Commercial Director at Plymouth Albion
“We have lost too many strong men in our Black community to cancer because it remains a tragic taboo—a subject often buried in silence, particularly between fathers and their sons. This silence is literally deadly, and the statistics confirm that Black men are carrying a disproportionately high risk. That’s why this partnership with Plymouth Albion and The Chestnut Appeal is so crucial. A rugby ground is a powerful, safe, male-friendly environment. We are using the unifying power and excitement of sport to finally break that generational silence, encourage those life-saving conversations, and ensure that health equity is won where the community feels most at home.”
Jabo Butera, Chief Executive of the Diversity Business Incubator
“Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but there’s still no national targeted screening program to help those in high-risk groups to catch cancer early.
By partnering with Diversity Business Incubator and Plymouth Albion, we want to empower men with information about their health and offer them the chance to have this life-saving early detection test for free in their community.”
Lesley-Ann Simpson, CEO of The Chestnut Appeal for Men’s Health
