A SALFORD bus driver has joined his bus driver colleagues in Greater Manchester to strip off to produce a cheeky calendar for 2024! Bus driver David Carlyon, 51, from Eccles, is part of a semi-naked calendar featuring Stagecoach Manchester staff which will raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. Staff hope it will also act as a year-long reminder for people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer and to get checked out if they notice something that’s not normal for them. David said: “We wanted to raise awareness of prostate cancer as some members of the group have been affected personally by this disease. So, we put our thinking caps on and decided to do a very tasteful calendar of all us bus drivers. We are not models. We are real men with not the best of bodies, but this didn’t matter! “Quite a few of us have been touched by cancer. I lost my dad to prostate cancer when I was 15 and I watched him go through his treatment. It has had a lasting impact on me. The calendar is our way of doing something to help raise funds and have a bit of fun too.” The group of staff from Stockport and Hyde bus depots posed for photos which they took on their phones at home. Once word of the men’s calendar was out, some of the women asked about doing one too. Simon Stopford, Lead Mental Health First Aider for Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I put a list out for male volunteers and was very surprised by the amount of interest! Then I got approached by the ladies asking if they could get involved, so we now have two charity calendars!” Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester commented: “It’s inspiring to see just how much our drivers care and we’re so proud of everything they’re doing to not only raise much needed funds but also raise awareness of the importance of checking and getting help as early as possible.” Alison Jones, Director of Early Diagnosis at Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, said: “It’s brilliant to hear about these calendars and the work staff at Stagecoach are doing to raise awareness about cancer. “Cancer survival is at an all-time high and we’re seeing more people than ever before diagnosed with cancer at an early stage – but we want to continue this progress. “It’s important for everyone to be aware of their own bodies – please look out for lumps and bumps or anything else that is unusual for you – and get checked out early, it could save your life.” If people notice symptoms that could be cancer, they should contact their GP practice and come forward for checks as early as possible so they can get the all-clear or, in some cases, a cancer diagnosis sooner – to give them the best chance of surviving the disease. Symptoms of breast cancer can include a lump or change in the look, shape or feel of one or both breasts, while symptoms of prostate cancer can include difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder. Most men with early prostate cancer don’t have any signs or symptoms. That’s why it’s important to know about your prostate cancer risk. You can check your risk by using the Prostate Cancer UK risk checker: https://bit.ly/GMprostateriskchecker. The calendars are being sold by Stagecoach staff.
