Isle of Man becomes 'Isle of Men' in support of Lads Night In
20 Aug 2015
Prostate Cancer UK is launching Lads Night In with support from Isle of Man-based gaming site PokerStars, and is urging thousands across Great Britain and the Isle of Man to get together at home on September 25 for a friendly game of poker – donating the ‘pot’ to the men’s health charity. Money raised by players will help Prostate Cancer UK drive the game-changing research that could lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatments, as well as much-needed support services.
WIN A TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS
Everyone registering through the Lads Night In website will receive a free poker pack, including instructions, a deck of cards and a dealer button.
As an added incentive people from across Great Britain can enter into a prize draw to win a trip for them and four friends to the Bahamas in January 2016. Entries into the prize draw are £100.That’s just £20 each per person for the chance to win a ticket to paradise, including accommodation and US$1,000 each for hotel expenses. Full terms and conditions for the prize draw can be found at www.prostatecanceruk.org/ladsnightin.
Owen Sharp, chief executive at Prostate Cancer UK said: “Prostate cancer kills one man every hour. We’re doing everything we can to change this, but it’s a numbers game and we urgently need more help if we are going to reduce the number of lives being cut short by this disease. That’s why we are calling on as many people as possible to get involved, raise funds over a friendly game of poker, and help beat this silent killer once and for all.
“We’re proud to be partnering with PokerStars. The ethos of our Men United campaign is all about reaching out to men on their own turf, to inspire action for men’s health, and with a predominantly male player base it’s a natural fit. With PokerStars’ backing, we can reach a huge pool of men to raise awareness about prostate cancer and motivate a whole new community.”
ISLE OF MEN
To increase awareness and to support the efforts of Lads Night In, more than 100 people joined together at the Isle of Man National Sports Centre to create a real life ‘man-made’ Prostate Cancer UK logo. Local residents, members of the Isle of Man government, poker fans and PokerStars staff united to create a striking image that was captured in an aerial photograph (see attachment) along with a video that can be viewed here: http://psta.rs/1JkGC8r.
The Isle of Man Government is also getting behind the cause and showing its support for Lads Night In by announcing that it will be renaming the island the Isle of Men for a day on September 25, 2015, and the main visitor information site will change from ‘Visit Isle of Man’ to ‘Visit Isle of Men’. The historic name change will honour the hundreds of thousands of men affected by prostate cancer throughout the UK and is part of a move to get men to host a Lads Night In to raise funds to help beat the deadly disease.
David Cretney MLC, Department of Economic Development's political member on the Isle of Man with responsibility for Tourism, better known locally as the ‘minister for fun’, said: “We are very happy to support PokerStars and Prostate Cancer UK with this campaign. The people of the Isle of Man are excited to be involved and this is demonstrated with our human Prostate Cancer UK logo! The Isle of Men will come alive with the sound of poker chips on September 25 and hopefully more lives will be saved because of that.”
WIN A VIP LADS NIGHT IN
Professional poker player and member of Team PokerStars Pro, Jake Cody, announced his backing for the fundraiser and will be hosting his own VIP Lads Night In home game in London. Players can enter by tweeting with #JCLadsNightIn or e-mailing press@pokerstars.com and explaining who their dream poker opponent(s) are and why. The winner, along with four friends, will play a VIP home game in central London, with travel and hotel expenses included. More information can be found at http://psta.rs/LadsNightIn.
Full information about Lads Night In, including terms and conditions and how to get involved, can be found at www.prostatecanceruk.org/ladsnightin.