PureGym, Sir Chris Hoy, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have teamed up to support men with prostate cancer to be more active.

The partnership was formally launched today, 6 September, at a PureGym in Glasgow, by Sir Chris Hoy and PureGym CEO Clive Chesser, ahead of Hoy’s Tour De 4. This mass-participation bike ride around Glasgow takes place tomorrow. Raising funds for UK cancer charities, it has already sailed past the original £1 million target, and is now aiming at £2 million.

The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden have provided a structured exercise programme as part of this team effort and PureGym is providing a free one-year membership for men taking hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer at its 433 gyms across the UK.

Almost 50,000 men are diagnosed with the disease in the UK each year and advanced prostate cancer affects around 20,000. The main treatment is hormone therapy, which has a number of side effects including weight gain driven by increase in body fat and muscle loss, fatigue and psychological changes. Long term, these treatments increase the risk of bone thinning, heart disease and diabetes.

Research has shown that exercise can result in a better quality of life for men on hormone therapy, with less fatigue, lower body fat and higher muscle mass, and improved bone density. However, few exercise programmes are available, meaning that only around one in eight of this cohort meet guideline levels of activity, while one-third of men with advanced prostate cancer are completely inactive.

Financial pressures, fatigue, coping with a major illness, and lack of knowledge about how to begin exercising safely are among the barriers.

Hoy – who won multiple world and Olympic titles during his illustrious track cycling career – was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in September 2023. He has spoken openly about the illness and launched the Tour De 4 to change perceptions around stage 4 cancer.

“Scientific studies have shown that structured exercise is the perfect complement to many cancer treatments, but we need to break down the barriers that often prevent patients from getting consistent and regular physical activity to experience these benefits,” he says.

“Exercise has been a fundamental part of my life and never more so than since my diagnosis of prostate cancer. I find it hugely encouraging that the importance of exercise for prostate cancer is being recognised. This is a significant step forward and potentially transformative.

“I have a long-standing association with PureGym which, more than any fitness organisation in the UK, has the scale, reach and capability to make a demonstrable national impact. I look forward to seeing the results of this initiative in the coming months and years.”

Clive Chesser, CEO of PureGym, says: “We hope that offering free membership to advanced prostate cancer sufferers on hormone therapy will enable thousands, across the country, to benefit from regular exercise, with expert guidance from The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden.

“As Sir Chris Hoy has so bravely shown, staying active is a great way of managing the disease both mentally and physically and we are proud to be supporting him with his vital mission.”

There is a growing body of evidence that exercise helps to improve general wellbeing for those diagnosed with prostate cancer, as well as directly improve cancer outcomes. World-leading cancer researcher and oncologist, Professor Nick James is at the cutting-edge of cancer treatment and endorses exercise as a treatment: “Some studies have shown that exercising is so effective that if it was a drug, we would call it a breakthrough.

“However, while prostate cancer patients may be advised about the importance of exercise, they are rarely supported to actually begin – or simply continue – exercising safely.

“Joining a gym, particularly when you are older and recently diagnosed with a major illness, is clearly a major psychological hurdle. It’s also a financial barrier for many people, so we’re delighted to partner with PureGym to offer free access to gym facilities.

“Alongside this, we will provide a structured exercise programme, which can be undertaken at home or in the gym, with the aim of supporting men to build a regular exercise habit that could improve their quality of life and overall health.”

The free one-year membership, with the 26-week, bespoke exercise programme is available for men with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, on hormone therapy. The programme has been designed to take into account fatigue, lower bone density, and risks associated with having prostate cancer that has spread to the bones.

The Institute of Cancer Research is one of the world's most influential cancer research organisations. It provided the first convincing evidence that DNA damage is the basic cause of cancer, laying the foundation for the now universally accepted idea that cancer is a genetic disease. Today it is a world leader at identifying cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted drugs for personalised cancer treatment.

The Royal Marsden opened its doors in 1851 as the world’s first hospital dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, research and education and is the largest and most comprehensive cancer centre in Europe, seeing and treating more 59,000 NHS and private patients every year.

Together, the two partners are rated in the top four centres globally for cancer research and treatment.

Prof. James is the chief investigator of the STAMPEDE trial, a landmark study evaluating multiple therapies for advanced prostate cancer, involving more than 11,000 men, resulting in findings which had a global impact on clinical practice. He designs and leads clinical trials to explore innovative treatment approaches for prostate cancer.

PureGym chair, Humphrey Cobbold is the chair of this year’s all keynote HCM Summit on 23 October. You can book tickets here if you’d like to join us for this stellar event in London’s Queen Elizabeth II Centre.