Colchester's The Robin Cancer Trust gets ballsy for latest campaign

The Robin Cancer Trust, based in Colchester, was launched following the death of Robin Freeman, who died from a rare form of testicular cancer aged just 24.

Brother Toby Freeman, 32, who is the founder of the germ cell cancer community, is today heading to Manchester to kickstart Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.

To mark the occasion the campaigner, along with the help of his dedicated team, has arranged for a pair of balls to be beamed onto a gigantic billboard.

The stunt has been arranged with the hope of encouraging more people to get into the habit of checking their testicles for what could be the early signs of cancer.

It is also not the first time the organisation has thought outside the box in order to get their message out there.

During a previous Testicular Cancer Month, for example, the charity actually sent a pair of rubber balls 22-miles up into space.

Toby said: “Spreading awareness of testicular cancer in the most creative ways has always been our priority, so more people can see and act on our messages.

“After seeing previous campaigns on the billboard, I was obsessed with getting a pair of balls on there to encourage people to check their own, so we made it happen.”

Every year in the UK 2,400 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer and it is considered to be the most common cancer in men aged between 15 and 45.

The number of recorded cases of testicular cancer has also increased by more than a quarter since the early 1990s but, if caught early, the disease is 98 per cent curable.

Toby, who will be heading up north with engagement manager Darren Couchman, is therefore desperate for new campaign to be seen by as many people as possible.

He added: “Since the pandemic we’ve been growing from our roots in Essex, expanding to a national audience with our awareness and education programmes.

“Our vision is to reach every young person in the UK with our life-saving cancer campaigns.”