Decorator's cancer death sparks fundraiser

Hundreds of people have pounded the pavements in memory of a painter and decorator who died from prostate cancer.

Kevan Birkett, from Petersfield, Hampshire, was diagnosed with the disease in December 2021 after developing pain in his neck and shoulders.

He spent the following months raising awareness of the importance of regular check-ups for men, before passing away in March 2023, aged 58.

On Sunday, his friends and family donned blue clothes and marched through the town to raise money for charity in his honour.

It was the second year in a row people took on the March for Men with Kev challenge, raising money for Prostate Cancer UK and Prostate Cancer Support Organisation (PCaSO).

Those taking part chose whether to walk 2.5km (1.5 miles), 5km (3.1 miles) or 10km (6.2 miles) through Petersfield.

In the 18 months following his diagnosis, Mr Birkett advocated for early diagnosis and awareness of prostate cancer.

Despite undergoing treatment, the cancer spread to his bones, lymph nodes and other areas, and he was told it was incurable.

Mr Birkett's wife of more than 30 years, Claire, described him as being "larger than life".

"Everybody knew Kev," she said, adding: "I used to walk through the town with him and he'd stop and speak to loads of people and I'd think 'who are they?'"

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with about 55,000 new cases each year, according to Prostate Cancer UK.

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