
A Bedale-based sausage firm have raised £20,000 for a charity dedicated to raising awareness about testicular cancer.
HECK! changed the name of its popular chicken sausages to CHECK! throughout November.
And proceeds from pack sales have been donated to charity Cahonas, with a total of £20,000 raised.
The campaign has been spearheaded by HECK! Food Co-founder, 34 year old Jamie Keeble, who had testicular cancer when he was 24.
Ritchie Marshall and Paul McCaffery from Cahonas said:
“We are incredibly grateful to HECK for their unwavering support of Cahonas and for championing the importance of early cancer detection by changing their name to 'CHECK' throughout November.
“This bold nationwide campaign has not only raised awareness of testicular cancer but also emphasised the critical need for self-checking for other cancer types.
"Through this initiative, we've had customers reach out with concerns who were then signposted to their GPs, underscoring just how impactful such campaigns can be.”
They added:
“Thanks to HECK’s generous donation, we can continue our life-saving education and awareness programs while also supporting those undergoing treatment for testicular cancer.
“Together, we are making a difference and empowering individuals to take charge of their health."
In addition, HECK! Have also been leading the way in free workplace health checks, helping to stop many preventable diseases.
Last week, the whole HECK! team - almost 100 people - were invited to take part, where they were asked to answer a short lifestyle questionnaire, then have their height, weight, and waist measured, undergo a blood pressure test and have a simple blood test to measure cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The checks also recorded key information including smoking status, family history of coronary heart disease and cholesterol level.
HECK! Co-founder Jamie Keeble said:
“We were really delighted how the health checks were taken up.
“We have now rolled it out across the company and are having regular visits by the screening company. Health checks can save lives.
“They can help prevent people from developing largely preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and liver disease."
One of the individuals who came to the screening was 59-year-old Robert Rough, who is HECK’s occupational health lead.
He said:
“I myself have already made an appointment with my GP to follow up on some of the recommendations from the screening.
“The two days were really successful and all the slots were booked up. We’ll be making the screening programme a regular thing each year.”
For more information on the HECK and Cahonas fundraising campaign visit www.heckfood.co.uk.