Bob Monkhouse on a Twitter campaign for prostate cancer awareness

www.giveafewbob.orgAug 10 2009

Bob Monkhouse, who was brought back to life by The Communications Agency to raise awareness (and a few bob) for the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation, is now twittering from beyond the grave.

The original campaign was incredibly successful, raising awareness and a great deal of cash as well as winning awards and plaudits all over the world. But prostate cancer is still one of the least understood of all cancers and kills a man every hour in the UK. Compared to say, breast cancer (which results in a similar number of deaths) research into prostate cancer is woefully underfunded. So it’s hoped that Bob’s Twitter page will help to bring in more donations.

Bob, who is the only dead person on Twitter, already has a sizeable following, which is growing fast. The tweets are a mix of Bob's jokes, news about the charity and the research it funds, and the occasional shaking of a ghostly collection tin. You can see his twitter page @bob_monkhouse or by going to his site (www.giveafewbob.org) and clicking on the twitter link.

• Every hour in the UK, one man dies from prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.
• Every year, almost 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK.
• Prostate cancer death rates have not changed significantly in the last 10 years, unlike incidence.
• Statistically, men with a family history of young incidence prostate cancer have a 2-3 times increased risk of developing the disease.
• The lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is 1:11.