Pentel Raises Over £600,000 For Prostate Cancer UK

Pentel has announced it has raised over £600,000 for Prostate Cancer UK. In 2009 Pentel became an official partner of Prostate Cancer UK and is still hitting important milestones over 10 years on.

This figure has been reached through the sales of over 2.4 million special edition pens produced by Pentel. Initially supporting the charity through sales of a stylish blue barrelled ballpoint pen called LineStyle, Pentel now raises money through the best-selling product by far, EnerGel Xm Retractable.

EnerGel contains quick-drying ink to reduce smudging on hands and paper, making it ideal for both right and left-handed writers. Together with its smooth flowing EnerGel ink it has a white barrel trimmed with light blue accents to reflect the charity’s key brand colour. For each EnerGel pen purchased, Pentel make a donation of £0.25 to Prostate Cancer UK.

In the UK, over 47,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, that’s 129 men every day. That means around 1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their life.

Marketing Manager, Wendy Vickery, said: “Sadly, prostate cancer has become the third biggest cancer killer in the UK, so it’s important to continue to support the excellent work of Prostate Cancer UK. Donations help fund important projects to raise awareness of the disease and help improve the quality of life for all the dads, brothers, sons and friends living with a diagnosis.”

She adds, “Of course, none of this is achievable without the continued help and enthusiasm of our customers, which gives us the confidence to set future fundraising goals to raise even more money for Prostate Cancer UK over the coming years – next goal, £1 million!”

Jon Eserin, Director of Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from Pentel and the incredible amount of money that they have raised for Prostate Cancer UK. The money raised will help fund vital research and support for men and their families facing a diagnosis.

“One man dies every 45 minutes from prostate cancer, a shocking statistic. The support from Pentel and their customers means that we are able to continue to help stop prostate cancer being a killer, and for this we cannot thank them enough.”

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About Prostate Cancer UK

• Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to stop men dying from prostate cancer. We’re investing millions to find better treatments and tests that could save thousands of lives.
• We work with the NHS to make sure men get access to breakthrough tests and treatments.
• We spread the word about who is at risk of prostate cancer, especially to those at higher risk.
• We support people dealing with prostate cancer and provide health information.
• Visit prostatecanceruk.org now to help beat this disease.

About prostate cancer

• More than 11,500 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year – that’s one man every 45 minutes.
• Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, and it’s estimated that by 2030, prostate cancer will be the most commonly diagnosed cancer overall.
• Prostate cancer mainly affects men over 50 and the risk increases with age. But the risk is higher for black men or men with a family history of prostate cancer, so they may wish to speak to their GP from age 45.
• One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. This raises to one in four for black men.
• Prostate cancer often has no symptoms so men shouldn’t wait to see changes before they act.
• Anyone with concerns about prostate cancer may contact Prostate Cancer UK’s Specialist Nurses in confidence on 0800 074 8383 or online via the Live Chat instant messaging service: www.prostatecanceruk.org. The Specialist Nurse phone service is free to landlines and open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 8pm on Wednesdays.