Hastings benefit gig raises hundreds for cancer charity

Andrew Clifton organised the event at the Carlisle pub, in Pelham Street, on April 4 to raise funds as part of Testicular Cancer Awareness Month.

More than £900 was raised, he said.

Andrew said: “Having survived testicular cancer in 2006 I decided to organise the benefit concert at the Carlisle on April 4 to raise funds for testicularcanceruk.com (TC UK).

“Those in attendance included deputy mayor David Whitehill and TC UK representative Edward Solly, as well as Tony Davis from Hastings Rock Radio MC, who introduced the bands Cushty, Urgent Orange and headline act Sex Pistols Expose. Thanks to monies raised, I was able to make a donation of £900 to the organisation.”

TC UK was founded by Phil Morris MBE.

The former soldier first had Stage 2 testicular cancer in 2003 and felt there was no support for men going through testicular cancer.

​Testicular Cancer UK was personally funded by Phil until 2009 when he decided to make the organisation a charity so he could expand educational talks to schools, army bases and workplaces.

On its website, TC UK said it is manned by ‘many brilliant survivors’ who offer help and awareness.

According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 2,400 new testicular cancer cases in the UK every year. In males in the UK, testicular cancer is the 17th most common cancer.

The charity said since the early 1990s, testicular cancer incidence rates have increased by more than a quarter in males in the UK.

Testicular cancer is when abnormal cells in a testicle start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way. The testicles are part of the male reproductive system.

A lump or swelling in part of one testicle is the most common symptom of a testicular cancer.