The Urology Foundation (TUF)
by Professor Roger Kirby
How TUF started
Thirty years ago, gratified by the growing success of our charity Prostate Cancer Research Campaign UK (which has now become Prostate Cancer UK and raises over £40 million per annum), we decided to create another charitable entity - one which encompassed all urological conditions. Generously, the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) and the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI) each offered us a sum of money to create the British Urology Foundation (BUF), later renamed The Urology Foundation (TUF). This name change reflected the many trekking, running and cycling challenges which we undertook to raise funds to support urologists dealing with, and patients suffering from, urological conditions including prostate, bladder and kidney cancer, urinary incontinence, infections and sexual dysfunction.
With a little help from our friends
We were lucky to be supported on our journey by some generous philanthropists, many of whom were former patients. Handel Evans was our first Chairman, and my friend and colleague Professor John Fitzpatrick, deployed his legendary networking abilities for us. Bruno Schroder (right) of the famous banking dynasty also joined our board. On one occasion, Bruno personally flew his own single-engined plane to Guernsey for a fundraising dinner, transporting myself, Steve Norris and Ronnie Corbett to the event. Former Transport Minister Steve Norris ran the auction for us, whilst Ronnie Corbett provided some memorable after-dinner entertainment.
Another memorable fundraising event was held in the Vintner’s Hall, where Jane MacQuitty, wine correspondent of The Times, carefully selected some appropriate vintages and then regaled us about their various subtleties, but discouraged us all from overindulgence. Unfortunately, her entreaties for the latter fell on deaf ears on one rowdy table of urologists in a corner of the room, and even the loquacious Ms MacQuitty was driven to fall silent! Nonetheless, the evening was a considerable financial success.
When the going gets TUF …
Having completed three consecutive London Marathons for charity, we decided that a team of fourteen of us, including my son Joe and Professor John Fitzpatrick, should climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise further funds. We set off up the highest mountain in Africa, full of vim and vigour. However, a severe dose of mountain sickness intervened, resulting in me being the very last of the fourteen climbers to reach the summit, exhausted and breathless at an altitude of almost 20,000 feet. As a result, I later became the butt of numerous jokes as we celebrated our achievement with dinner at the bottom of the mountain.
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One of the more memorable challenges we undertook was the “Hike for Hope" which we completed in combination with the obstetric and gynaecological charity, Wellbeing of Women (WoW), whose Chairman then was the obstetrician and my dear friend Sir Marcus Setchell. Nearly one hundred of us set off across the Jordanian desert to iconic Petra. Some of the trekkers were equipped with better footwear and hardier feet than others, with the consequence that Kate Holmes, our loyal and diligent nurse at The Prostate Centre, was dubbed the “Blister Sister”, as she attended to a profusion of traumatised heels, toes and bunions!
Two wheels are better than none
Steve Norris was one of our most energetic and enthusiastic Chairmen and it was he who introduced us to and appointed Louise de Winter our first full-time CEO. Louise led the charity for over 11 years transforming our research programme, fundraising and awareness.
Louise was brave enough to accompany us on several of our fundraising cycling challenges. The first of these was in Sicily, culminating in a climb to the crater of Mount Etna. Subsequent years we cycled in Malawi, Madagascar, Argentina, South Africa, India, Vietnam & Cambodia, Costa Rica, Slovenia and most recently Sri Lanka, taking some younger supporters with us including several trainees and my son Joe, with his friend Nicholas, who were soon dubbed “The Young Guns” (below).
How the funds are spent
I am incredibly proud of TUF and the impact we are making. We could not function without our wonderful CEO, Rebecca Porta and her excellent team, who drive the fundraising, events, communications and campaigns that are vital to securing funds for our research programmes and recognition/promotion of urology. We are also hugely indebted to Mary Garthwaite, our marvellous Chairperson, and all the Trustees and members of our Scientific & Education Committee who work tirelessly on behalf of the charity.
Over the last thirty years, thanks to generous donations from our supporters and money raised from activities previously mentioned, TUF has invested in ground-breaking urology research, skills training in innovative technologies/practices and education programmes. This has significantly advanced our understanding of urology conditions and how to treat them. Our work has enabled many researchers to revolutionise urology care, and our ongoing projects across a wide range of conditions are building on our successes.
More recently, we have also made strides in raising awareness of urology health and campaigning to improve outcomes and quality of life. From community outreach events to national campaigns, and driving policy change through Parliamentary events and activities, we are working hard to promote excellent urology health for all.
TUF has helped to transform the urology "space", and we will continue to drive positive change as well as leading the fight against urology disease. One major achievement is that we have pioneered the introduction of robotic urology surgery, enabling its safe and swift adoption by the NHS. This changed the face of urology cancer surgery. However, there is much more to be done – come on, roll up your sleeves, join in and support the cause!
Morocco in the rain
Our work is transforming lives and building a better future for patients and their families
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