Saundersfoot Rotary supports Prostate Cymru with £2,429 donation

Saundersfoot Rotary recently presented Prostate Cymru with a donation of £2,429 - proceeds from a sponsored walk, with the charity close to one member’s heart, as Rob Talboys shares his encouraging recovery story.

The Club’s sponsored walk was held to support the charity’s invaluable work raising awareness of prostate cancer and providing opportunities for men to have PSA tests.

The presentation had particular significance for Saundersfoot Rotarian Rob, whose own experience is a remarkable example of just how important that work can be.

Rob had been feeling perfectly well and had no symptoms to suggest that anything was wrong. There were no problems passing urine, no blood and nothing that would have prompted him to seek medical advice about his prostate.

However, on Sunday, June 1, 2025, Rob attended a PSA testing session organised by Prostate Cymru at Narberth Rugby Club, held in conjunction with the club’s Duck Race event.

The result, received on June 10, came as a considerable shock. His PSA reading was 8.72, prompting further investigations.

These included additional blood tests, an MRI scan, prostate biopsy, CT scan and PET scan, which confirmed that Rob had prostate cancer and required treatment.

Had he not taken advantage of the testing opportunity organised by Prostate Cymru, Rob might never have discovered the cancer at that stage.

Rob subsequently underwent hormone treatment and a course of radiotherapy at Singleton Hospital in Swansea. The treatment involved considerable commitment, with Rob estimating that he travelled approximately 1,900 miles making repeated journeys for his radiotherapy appointments.

Throughout this challenging period, he was supported by the medical teams responsible for his care.

Then came the news everyone had been hoping for.

Following a telephone consultation on October 15, 2026 to discuss his latest PSA results, Rob was given extremely encouraging news - his cancer was no longer detectable in his blood sample.

“Yippee! Those were the words I used when I heard the news,” said Rob.

“After everything I had been through, it was wonderful to hear that the results were so encouraging. I am incredibly grateful to the medical teams who have looked after me throughout my treatment, and I cannot praise Prostate Cymru enough for the work they do.”

Rob will continue to be monitored, with a further PSA blood test planned for January 2027. While ongoing monitoring remains important, the latest results represent a tremendous milestone in his recovery.

Rob is particularly keen to share his experience because he believes it demonstrates why the work of Prostate Cymru is so important.

He had no obvious symptoms and no reason to suspect he had cancer. It was the opportunity to attend a PSA testing event in Narberth that set in motion the investigations which ultimately led to his diagnosis and treatment.

Rob continued: “Without Prostate Cymru organising that PSA testing session at Narberth Rugby Club, I honestly don’t know when I would have found out that I had prostate cancer.

“I had no real symptoms and no reason to suspect anything was wrong. If I hadn’t gone along for that test, I might never have known about my condition until it was much more advanced.

“Prostate Cymru is a fantastic organisation. The work they do to raise awareness and give men the opportunity to get tested is so important. I genuinely believe that their work has made a life-changing difference to me.”

There is currently no national routine prostate cancer screening programme in Wales. Men can, however, speak to their GP about their individual risk and whether a PSA blood test is appropriate.

Rob hopes that sharing his story will encourage other men not to assume that feeling fit and healthy means everything is necessarily well.

His message is simple - take an interest in your prostate health, speak to your GP and find out whether a PSA test is right for you.

Rob’s experience also gave Saundersfoot Rotary an added incentive to support the work of Prostate Cymru through its sponsored walk.

The cheque presentation of £2,429 on Friday, November 6, represents the generosity and commitment of everyone who supported the fundraising effort.

For the Club, this is about much more than raising money. It is about supporting an organisation whose work has had a direct and profound impact on the life of one of its own members, while helping ensure that other men have access to potentially life-changing opportunities.

The Club is immensely proud of Rob and delighted by his encouraging progress. His story brings home the importance of Prostate Cymru’s work and gives real meaning to the fundraising efforts of Saundersfoot Rotary and the wider community.

It is a wonderful example of how a simple testing opportunity can change a life, how a charity can make a lasting difference and how a local community can come together to help others.