5 minutes with… Stafford & Surrounds Prostate Cancer Support Group

16 April 2026 — lia-rogers

We chat to Mark Seaton about the prostate cancer support group he chairs in Stafford. Having started in 2025 as an informal group, they’ve gone from strength to strength, offering people affected by prostate cancer the chance to share their experience in a kind, frank and respectful space. The group is a member of the nationwide charity Tackle Prostate Cancer where you can find support groups around the UK.

Tell us about your organisation?

Our group started meeting informally in August 2025 to test the need for such a group, our membership grew and we became an unincorporated association in January 2026. We meet in a pub (The Bird in Hand) in Stafford, which seems a popular choice and they allow us to use their function room so that open conversations can be had in private. Members also have access to a private WhatsApp group for support and advice in between our monthly meetings.

What services do you offer to people living with or affected by cancer?

Our support offer has many strands, we provide support to men and their partners who have had a high PSA test and guide them through the diagnostic journey for prostate cancer, explaining the jargon and numbers associated with the various tests.

Who are your services aimed at supporting?

All our members have experience of prostate cancer, and the next stage of our offer is to enable people that have a cancer diagnosis to explore treatment options through conversations with men that have been through each of them, with the aim of informing what might be the right option for them personally.

We then provide support through that treatment journey, and hope that people that have benefitted from support will stay with us and share their experiences with the next men that come through.

What’s the most rewarding thing about the work you do?

As the chair of the group the most rewarding part is the feedback from our members, as we address the feeling of isolation that can come with a cancer diagnosis and allow very frank conversations to take place that probably wouldn’t happen anywhere else. 

However, we recognise that the devastation of receiving a cancer diagnosis equally impacts on wives and partners and we are now exploring how best to provide the support that is needed, as whilst wives and partners are welcome at our meetings, we feel that there is more that can be done to enhance this offer.

What would you say to those who are considering getting in touch with you but are nervous or apprehensive?

Anyone considering joining us can just turn up. Our meeting schedule is published on our website, or they can get in touch by phone or email for a conversation first – again all our details are on our website.

How are you funded?

We are not a registered charity and we achieve what we do with very little money. Our main expenses are public liability insurance and the cost of promotional materials like leaflets, posters, pop-up banners etc. for the events we attend to raise awareness of the condition and provide support.

What are the values of your organisation?

Our members are all requested to compete a membership form in which they agree to uphold our constitution and values and behaviours – in short to promote inclusivity, respect and kindness.

For more information please visit and don’t hesitate to get in touch: e-voice.org.uk/staffordpscg/ or you can search for groups elsewhere in the UK at tackleprostate.org