Wolves favourites’ donation to help male cancer patients

Popular 1970s heroes Phil Parkes and Steve Daley, who have both been touched by cancer, visited New Cross Hospital to present a cheque for £16,680.03 to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).

Phil and Steve are now prominent committee members of the Wolves Former Players Association and the money, which will be used to benefit men with cancer, is the entire funds of the Maureen Parkes Breast Care Fund.

This has raised more than £75,000 for RWT over the last 28 years to buy various pieces of equipment to enhance the treatment and care of patients.

Phil, 76, lost wife Maureen in April 2010 at the age of 62 after battling stomach cancer. After beating breast cancer in 1995, she set up the fund to raise the money for the Trust in thanks for the care she received.

Phil and Maureen’s close friend Sheila Edwards, 76, who was a Healthcare Assistant at RWT for 43 years, were the trustees of the fund and Sheila helped organise many fashion shows which raised funds.

Following her death, Phil carried on raising money for the fund in his wife’s name through the Wolves FPA, through its popular annual golf days and other events, while St Columba’s URC Church in Finchfield also made yearly donations.

Steve, 70, underwent an operation to remove his prostate cancer in spring 2022 and the former midfielder has since joined RWT Nurses promoting awareness of the condition.

Andeana Andreas, Urology Outpatients Departmental Manager at RWT said: “We’re delighted to receive this money from Phil and Steve and are hugely thankful for the efforts of them, Maureen and the Wolves FPA over the years.

“The department will use this money to benefit urology patients with suspected and proven urological cancers such as bladder and prostate cancer, specifically improving their care in the outpatient setting.

“The Urology department is currently looking at ways to improve the outpatient management of some recurrent bladder cancers to help reduce waiting lists for standard operations and to improve the treatment of patients who are not fit for standard general anaesthetics. This could help drive forward these changes.

“The Urology services at RWT and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust joined forces a little over a year ago, so this service will benefit a large population.”

Former goalkeeper Phil, who played 382 games for Wolves between 1966-78, said: “I’m very proud of the work Maureen did and what we have done since her death to raise the money, and of the benefit it has given to patients in Wolverhampton and the local area.

“We feel it’s the right time to wind the fund down, but there is still so much to do to help patients. As the money raised by Maureen’s fund has mainly benefitted women, we thought it right that the remainder of the fund will go towards helping men.”

Steve, who was once Britain’s costliest footballer when he joined Manchester City after scoring 43 goals in 244 games for Wolves from 1971-79, returned to Urology Outpatients where he had his biopsy.

“I owe my life to the staff at New Cross Hospital and I want to help people who have what I had,” said Steve, who also played for Walsall during a 17-year professional career.

“What impressed me at the prostate cancer evening was that we had men in their 20s and 30s, not just older ages, so people are starting to realise that this is something that can affect anyone at any time.”

Amanda Winwood, RWT Charity Development Manager, said: “We’re grateful to Phil and Steve for their donation and everyone who has donated to Maureen’s fund and supported the events over the years. This money will hugely benefit our male patients.”