Shanty festival returns this September to raise vital funds for life-saving prostate cancer testing

The Bristol Sea Shanty Shout fundraises for Somerset Prostate Support Association’s community PSA screening events following changes to NHS testing guidelines.

BRISTOL, UK – The Bristol Sea Shanty Shout returns on the 19th and 20th of September for a weekend of music and entertainment across four iconic locations around the city’s harbour. The festival is primarily raising funds for the Somerset Prostate Support Association (SPSA), aiming to fund free community testing events that provide a vital health lifeline for the local population. The funds raised will also allow the festival organisers to host a major ‘prostate-specific antigen’ (PSA) testing event early next year at the Great Eastern Hall in Bristol Dockyards, with the capacity to screen approximately 300 men.

The initiative comes at a critical time following changes to national health guidelines. The NHS recently retired the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme, which previously allowed all men over 50 without symptoms to receive a free check. The SPSA will continue to use its charitable donations to run free, discreet testing events across the region to ensure early diagnosis remains accessible.

The festival, run in partnership with Underfall Yard, Bristol Dockyards and High & Dry Shanty Crew, has been running for the past eight years. For two days, festival go’ers can enjoy live music from over 20 shanty crews across four venues – Underfall Yard, Bristol Dockyard’s Great Eastern Hall, MV Balmoral, and The Nova Scotia. All venues are free to enter during the day, with Underfall Yard hosting a ticketed evening concert on Saturday night where 50% of proceeds will go to the SPSA. High and Dry also support the RNLI and Children’s Hospice South West.

Loz Rush, Events and Development Manager at Underfall Yard, says: “Hosting the Sea Shanty Shout is always a highlight in our calendar: We love seeing new and returning guests enjoy their time at Underfall Yard by singing along to some great music. Sea shanties have had a huge revival in recent years, and it is a bonus that our ticketed concert will now fund life-saving health checks for an audience that is also committed to supporting local maritime industries.”

Phil Gibson from High & Dry Shanty Crew adds: “We are so excited to be back by the Floating Harbour and working with our partners to deliver another amazing festival. With the government withdrawing the right to these checks for men over 50, the Somerset Prostate Support Association’s mission has never been more important. Over the years that we have worked with SPSA we know for a fact that lives have been saved, and to do this through such a fun event is a fantastic win-win.”

The Bristol Sea Shanty Shout takes places on the 19th and 20th of September. Tickets for the Shanty Shout Concert at Underfall Yard 19th September are available now, with all profits going to charity. Purchase your ticket here:

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Kaden Gardener
market@underfallyard.co.uk

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