Patrick has lived in Wembley, North London, all his life. Many people know him through his work as a driving instructor or as “DJ Instructor” on community radio station Roots FM. Those familiar connections have taken on another purpose through his regular workshops, “Breaking the Silence on Prostate Cancer: Real Talk”.
In December 2023, at the age of 60, Patrick was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pauline explains that the cancer returned despite treatment and that he was continuing to receive treatment when she submitted his nomination. Throughout this experience, he made a decision to reach out to others facing similar challenges.
Living with illness can bring questions that are difficult to put into words. Medical appointments, treatment choices and changes to everyday life can feel overwhelming. Patrick’s response has been to create opportunities for people to hear clear explanations and speak openly with others who understand what they are going through.
In the year leading up to his nomination, he had been holding regular workshops to improve understanding of prostate cancer within the wider community. The sessions bring medical clinicians together with people who have personal experience of diagnosis and treatment, allowing professional knowledge and lived experience to inform the conversation.
Clinicians speak on a range of topics relating to prostate cancer. Community members share what treatment has meant in their own lives. Together, these contributions help make unfamiliar processes easier to understand and give attendees room to raise concerns that they may have kept to themselves.
Patrick brings particular openness to conversations about sex and intimacy during and after treatment. These can be difficult subjects to discuss, even with people close to us. His presentations address practical questions about maintaining a sex life, approaching the subject with factual information, humour and a willingness to speak plainly.
Pauline describes his ability to ask the questions others may feel too embarrassed to raise. That willingness helps create a setting in which sensitive concerns can be acknowledged. People have an opportunity to understand what they may need to discuss further with their own healthcare teams.
Women are welcome at the workshops and participate in the discussions. Partners, mothers, sisters, friends and colleagues can all be part of someone’s support network. Having space to ask their own questions helps them better understand the experiences of loved ones living with prostate cancer.
This inclusion recognises that a diagnosis affects relationships as well as the person receiving treatment. Supporters may have worries they find difficult to express or questions about how best to help. Real Talk gives them a place in the conversation, with their own concerns recognised.
Although the workshops are based in North West London, awareness of Patrick’s work has spread. Pauline’s nomination records invitations to deliver sessions elsewhere in London and in cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester, particularly in places with significant Black communities. These invitations reflect interest in the approach he has developed locally.
Behind the workshops is a substantial personal commitment. Patrick has been paying costs from his own pocket, including venue hire, free refreshments, printed information and awareness materials. Audio-visual equipment, support group activity and the organisation of future events also require time and resources.
Making the sessions welcoming and accessible involves work that audiences may never see. A venue must be arranged, speakers brought together and information prepared. Patrick has taken on those responsibilities alongside the demands of his own treatment.
To help sustain the workshops, he has also been fundraising. On 2 May 2026, he organised a black-tie dinner and dance to raise money so that the work could continue. It was another way of bringing people together around a shared concern for community health.
Pauline’s nomination places Patrick’s motivation at the centre of his contribution: he wants the journey to be easier for those who come after him. His workshops encourage people to become better informed, ask questions and seek professional advice about their health.
Patrick Burrows has used the relationships he built over a lifetime in Wembley to open conversations that can be hard to begin. Through Real Talk, he offers his community knowledge, companionship and the reassurance of being heard. Fighting, smiling and determined, he continues to make room for others while navigating his own experience of cancer.