press release: Serco Leisure
Serco Leisure to fund free prostate cancer checks to male employees over 40
From March 2026, Serco Leisure and its leisure trust operating partners will be offering complimentary prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests to male employees aged 40 and above at the facilities it operates in the UK.
In 2024, the company launched a new strategy structured around four business objective pillars, including a commitment to becoming the leisure sector’s Employer of Choice, which involves creating a workplace where colleagues feel supported, valued and enabled to prioritise their health and wellbeing.
Director of leisure, Steve Nelson, who is the pillar’s sponsor, said: “A former Serco colleague of mine, Justin Butlin, lost his battle with prostate cancer in early 2024, but I clearly remember the words he said to me: ‘Steve, make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else. Make sure you get yourself tested and encourage others to get themselves checked early’.
“Due to lockdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, a scheduled health check for Justin was cancelled. Had this examination occurred as planned, his cancer may have been detected at an earlier stage. Early detection is widely recognised as critical, particularly for prostate cancer, which has a high survival rate when identified promptly.
“Unfortunately, by the time Justin received his diagnosis, the disease had progressed to stage 4. Throughout his illness, he demonstrated resilience and maintained a positive outlook, dedicating significant effort to campaigning and fundraising for prostate cancer awareness. This initiative is dedicated in Justin’s memory.”
The charity, Prostate Cancer UK reports that prostate cancer is now the most common form of the disease among men in the UK. Recent high-profile cases, such as Sir Chris Hoy and former Prime Minister, David Cameron, have raised awareness of the condition.
Serco Leisure is working with the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust, via its My PSA Tests service, to provide all qualifying employees with the free test, which measures the level of PSA in the blood. Elevated PSA levels may indicate a prostate condition, making this screening an important step in the fight against the disease.
While a raised PSA does not always indicate a person has cancer – just one in four men with high PSA will have the disease - a high reading from the test can help detect prostate cancer at an early stage, often before symptoms develop.
Funding for the free PSA tests will be provided jointly by Serco Leisure and various leisure trusts, which partner with the operator in the UK. In some regions, qualifying customers will also be offered a free PSA test, with local trusts funding the first 100 spaces.
Serco Leisure manages over 50 centres in the UK, on behalf of clients such as local authorities, Sport England, and the national charity for wheelchair sport, WheelPower.
For more information about prostate cancer, and to look for testing services in your area, please visit the My PSA Tests website: https://www.mypsatests.org.uk/
Steve Nelson, director, leisure
Sally Kurton, director of operational support
Steve Lawrence, director of stakeholder engagement
Leigh Brooks, director of marketing & customer engagement
Warren Higgins, business development director
Nikhil Ghelani, director of business improvement
Lisa Boylin-George, director of finance
■ WheelPower
■ Local authorities
In 2024, we launched our national Active Wellbeing Strategy, outlining our strategic approach to addressing health inequalities within the communities we serve. Building on existing best practices, we aim to enhance and expand our efforts in this area, positioning our centres as inclusive community hubs dedicated to supporting the most underrepresented groups.
We are particularly proud of the free to attend, after dark running/walking clubs we launched in 2024 in support of This Girl Can’s ‘Let’s Lift the Curfew’ campaign.
– Dave Wagg, head of sport & development, Birmingham City Council
