Premier League giants to host testing day for Barry Kilby's Prostate Cancer Appeal.

Manchester City will hold a testing day at the Etihad on Sunday, March 15th, with the aim as ever to help save local men's lives through simple PSA blood tests.

A total of eight testing events were held across the country last year at clubs including Rochdale, Portsmouth, Oldham, Charlton, Ipswich Town and of course, Burnley.

This took the total number of men tested since 2015 up to 4,990, and Barry hopes that the news Manchester City has now joined his cause will aid in boosting numbers further.

"We're always ever expanding. Manchester City are doing the testing on the Sunday after we play them on the Saturday. I will be doing an interview with Mike Summerbee on the pitch on the matchday. They're promoting it quite heavily so we are expecting a big turnout. Manchester City is the biggest club we've had so far, so that's going to help with our exposure."

"Every testing day day we host helps save men's lives," said Barry. "The numbers are going up each year. It's such a simple test – a blood test – but so many men don't get it."

The Turf Moor testing day has now become an annual fixture, with this year's event taking place on Saturday, June 13th.

"The testing days are going well, but the other side to all this is that we have to pay for them," said Barry. "We have to generate the revenue for each one, and these testing days can cost anywhere from £1,000 to £7,000. We have to pay the lab costs, and the kit costs; so, of course, fund-raising is extremely important to us."

BKPCA, which was awarded charity status last year, raised more than £120,000 in 2019. Some £68,000 of this was raised in donations, while £41,000 was raised through testing events, sponsored activities and fundraisers.

Upcoming fundraisers include an Elvis Night at the James Hargreaves Suite on Saturday, April 4th; a bucket collection at Burnley's last game of the season, home to Brighton on Sunday, May 17th; and the 'Bene to Burnley' bike ride where more than 40 riders will cycle from the Benedictine Palace, France, to Burnley in time for that last match of the season.

The charity has also now launched a business lottery to run alongside its regular personal lottery. Businesses can sign up to either a gold, silver or bronze package with a range of prizes on offer including a tour of the Barnfield Training Centre and invitations to meet Barry.

More information on these can be found here.

Again, all the money raised from the lottery goes towards funding testing days.

"You can really feel it growing," said Barry. "But to keep pace with it we have to keep raising money.

"Fortunately, we have a great group working with us. We are helped by a brilliant team of NHS phlebotomists who give up their weekends off to come and take the blood samples for us.

"And we are also supported by the East Lancashire Prostate Cancer Support Group who are based at Burnley General Hospital. They help on the event days as well as supporting the local men who require it after they have been tested."