Cancer charity hails progress with big increase in 'bins for boys'

Lingen Davies Cancer Fund, the region’s primary cancer charity, launched the Bins for Boys campaign in November 2024 to encourage venues to implement male sanitary bins, but also to raise awareness that a lack of them in public venues is letting men down.

The project now has a dedicated group of ambassadors helping to encourage more sign-ups.

Incontinence can be a side effect of cancer and cancer treatment for many men who can be left with serious bladder and bowel problems following treatment for bowel or prostate cancer – amongst other health conditions including Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Men who need a place to hygienically dispose of their pads, pouches, stomas, catheters, colostomy, or ileostomy bags (small intestine v large intestine stoma bags) following cancer or illness, are lacking places to do so when they are out and about, impacting on their ability to confidently carry on socialising, and travelling. 

Lingen Davies, which exists to make a positive impact on lives affected by cancer in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales, took the evidence from a nationwide campaign by various cancer charities, which also lobbied the government about the issue, and wanted to create a real and lasting change locally.

Along with volunteer support the organisation helps raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of cancer, and the long-term impact it can have, and through the Bins for Boys project supporting men in particular.

Bishops Castle in South Shropshire was the first Bins for Boys town, with most of its public venues now signed up to the scheme. Awareness of the campaign has now gone national with venues as far afield as Lincoln and Devon joining.

The charity is now celebrating the growth and success of its campaign and has recruited a team of volunteers to help it spread the important message.

Anna Williams, communications and marketing manager at Lingen Davies, said: “We are delighted that we now have a cohort of volunteers who are working within the communities they live in across our region and beyond to speak with their public venues about Bins for Boys. We are very grateful to those who have got behind our campaign, helping to raise awareness of how important it is for them to install a bin into their male or accessible toilet for men to use.

“We recently held an evening for volunteer ambassadors who between them cover the whole of our region - Oswestry, Shifnal, Telford, Shrewsbury, Ludlow, and beyond, as well as a representative from the farming community, to help educate them on how to approach their public venues, raise awareness of the movement and to explain how their local venues can sign up – which is simply visiting our website where they will get all the help and advice they need to join.

“We want to encourage people to think about the impact of cancer on men in particular when they're out and about in the community and these volunteers are helping us to do just that. We want to thank them for giving up their time to support this valuable project and helping to make a genuine difference to people’s lives.”

Tim Cooper, chair of trustees for Lingen Davies, said: “We know many men fear being unable to find a toilet with sanitary bins, which makes them anxious, worried, and humiliated. It can stop them leaving their homes to take part in everyday activities like enjoying a pub meal with friends, or a cup of coffee in a local café.

“Adding a sanitary bin is a very low cost and very simple move, which could mean the difference between a male with incontinence feeling secure and comfortable enough to go out.

“Lingen Davies will support every venue who gets a ‘bin for a boy’ by supplying them with Bins for Boys stickers to display at venue entrances, toilet doors, cubicles, and on the bins themselves, giving venue name checks on social media channels and adding them to our specially developed Bins for Boys webpage and live interactive google map so that people can see venues taking part and plan their outings accordingly. Any venue which signs up and gets a bin will be added.”

To sign to become a Bins for Boys venue or to find out more about the project please visit www.lingendavies.co.uk/ binsforboys