PRESS RELEASE FROM THE MHF

Steven Gerrard turns blue for a day to launch men’s cancer campaign

1st Sept 2011

Liverpool footballer Steven Gerrard is today launching Blue September in England and Wales. Blue September is an international campaign that encourages men to face up to cancer.

The legendary Liverpool and England captain has taken the historic step of painting his face blue to show his support for Blue September. His team mate Jamie Carragher has joined him. They may be Reds for Life but they have turned Blue for a Day.

[Follow these links to download high-res images of Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher with blue faces.]

Blue September is necessary because men in the UK are about 40% more likely than women to die of cancer.

Blue September supports the Men’s Health Forum charity and is the first national campaign to increase men’s awareness of all cancers. These include lung, prostate, bowel and melanoma.

Blue September focuses on the lifestyle choices men can make to reduce their risk of developing cancer and also encourages men to seek medical advice as soon as possible if they have a worrying symptom.

Steven Gerrard said:
"Putting blue paint on your face is a fun way to get out a serious message - that we can all do our bit to face up to men's cancer. If you've got a worry, if you know something's not quite right, go to your GP and sort it out sooner rather than later."

Peter Baker, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum said:
“We must face up to cancer in men. Our statistical analysis shows that men are 70 per cent more likely than women to die from the cancers that affect both sexes and 60 per cent more likely to get these cancers. Too many men are dying unnecessarily because they take risks with their lifestyles and ignore symptoms.”

Health minister Paul Burstow MP said:
”Preventing cancer and diagnosing cancer earlier is one of our key priorities in aiming to achieve cancer outcomes that are amongst the best in the world. Blue September is a great way of encouraging men and their families to adopt healthier lifestyles and know the signs and symptoms of cancer.”

Other big names from sport, health and television support Blue September, including:

Liverpool Football Club
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Fulham Football Club
Portsmouth Football Club
The Barclays Premier League
NHS Direct
Health minister Paul Burstow MP
Ronan Keating, musician (he lost his mother to breast cancer in 1998)
Jamie Carragher, Liverpool FC
Professor Sir Mike Richards, the national cancer director
Alan Fletcher, “Dr Karl Kennedy” from Neighbours
The Royal College of GPs
The Royal College of Nursing

Throughout September, there will be Blue September events taking place at football and rugby grounds, workplaces, hospitals and other venues across England and Wales.

More information about Blue September and the people and organisations backing it can be found at www.blueseptember.org.uk.

ENDS.

Contacts

To organise an interview or for information on the launch please contact Colin Penning at the Men’s Health Forum on 07986 559121 or contact us.

For information on specific events and sports or celebrity endorsements contact Claire McCarthy at Blue September on 07428 236136.

Follow these links to download high-res images of Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher with blue faces.

Notes

The Men’s Health Forum (MHF) is a charity that provides an independent and authoritative voice for male health in England and Wales and tackles the issues and inequalities affecting the health and well-being of men and boys.

The MHF’s vision is a future in which all boys and men in England and Wales have an equal opportunity to attain the highest possible level of health and well-being.

The MHF exists because men are unnecessarily and disproportionately affected by a wide range of health problems and too often die too young. 42% of men die before the age of 75 compared to 26% of women. www.menshealthforum.org.uk.

The MHF runs the award-winning health information website www.malehealth.co.uk.

Blue September was developed in New Zealand in 2008 by Australian public relations company MWC Media and has since become a massive campaign that gets the message about men's cancer out to Kiwi blokes.

It is now also celebrated in Australia and California and in 2011 it is launching in the Republic of Ireland and here in England and Wales with the Men's Health Forum.

Blue September 2011 England & Wales supporting organisations:
Liverpool Football Club
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Fulham Football Club
Portsmouth Football Club
The Barclays Premier League
NHS Direct
The Royal College of GPs
The Royal College of Nursing
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The British Association of Urological Surgeons
Constructing Better Health
The Healthy Stadia Network
Bayer
Roche Products
Varian Medical Systems
Intuitive Surgical
Bristol-Myers Squibb