Robin Elliott, left, and Maurice Jay, right, are pictured braving the inclement January weather to promote the men’s MOT’s with (L-R) SuperValu Marketing Manager Briege McGinty, Musgrave Retail Partners NI Sales Director Nigel Maxwell and Sean Conlon from Action Cancer.

Two of Northern Ireland’s top male radio presenters are helping Action Cancer in an appeal to men to shake off their shyness and use the local charity’s health check services, in a bid to reduce male cancer incidence.

Robin Elliott from local radio station Citybeat and Maurice Jay from U105 have been lending their support to the call to action.
Health MOT’s, as they are known, are provided on Action Cancer’s state-of-the-art Big Bus mobile unit, which is sponsored by SuperValu and its retailers across Northern Ireland.

The Big Bus men’s MOT’s include tests for blood pressure, lung capacity, cholesterol levels and skin damage caused by exposure to the sun. Men are also given dietary advice and information on exercise, quitting smoking, alcohol and how to make changes to their lifestyle that will reduce their risk of getting cancer.

Action Cancer says men are often reluctant to come forward with health issues, and a recent survey of service users found that 92% thought men were reactive, rather than proactive when it comes to their health. 70% said they thought men ignored health problems until they became serious.

SuperValu retailers have donated £800, 000 to Action Cancer’s mobile services since they formed a partnership in 2001. The retailer helped fund and launch the Big Bus in 2006.