1 in 8 men in the UK will get prostate cancer, and many of these men are affected by urinary incontinence.
A UK-wide study in 2023 showed that 80% of men with incontinence are anxious to leave the house.
A UK-wide study in 2023 showed that 80% of men with incontinence are anxious to leave the house.
Unlike women's bathrooms, most male washrooms don’t have facilities for binning incontinence products or waste, and there is not currently a legal requirement for businesses to offer such facilities. For many, this leads to embarrassment, shame and anxiety.
Working in partnership with phs Group and Prostate Cancer UK, the BOG STANDARD is a creative initiative support men with incontinence, empowering them to feel confident using toilets in public.
I used lived experience to inform my work on this project - I've been living with a stoma bag since 2023, following 16 years with Crohn's Disease, so whilst I've not experienced issues with urinary incontinence, I understand the lack of disposal facilities men face, and the shame and embarrassment that goes with such a condition. Following further research with men experiencing similar, the campaign name - BOG STANDARD - came from a place of wanting to de-stigmatise the issue and inject some humour, and played on the idea of wanting to give men a minimum standard of disposal facilities in toilets across businesses and in public.
Working with phs Group and 'Cause, we formulated a set of guidelines and a 3-tier system, to both educate and ensure organisations are providing men with the facilities they need, as well as encouraging take-up of phs' products by businesses:
Bronze: Bin installation, what men who wear incontinence products need the most to dispose of their waste discreetly and hygienically.
Silver: As well as providing male incontinence bins, businesses must offer additional support with the installation of vending machines to provide easy access to incontinence products.
Gold: As well as providing Male Incontinence Bins and vending machines with incontinence products, to achieve Gold businesses must also raise awareness of prostate cancer.
Businesses signing up to the Bog Standard would receive in-cubicle and window stickers, as well as a plaque displaying their tier, to place within their business to advertise that their bathroom facilities are male incontinence-friendly. This not only benefits businesses, but helps men recognise suitably facilities when they are out in public.
The first phase was a huge success - 683 new businesses signed up to The Bog Standard, including McDonalds, Hilton Group and Marriot Hotels, and just under 12,000 new incontinence waste bins were sold by phs Group. The launch video and several news pieces were featured a dozen times on national ITV news pieces. The comedian Jon Richardson on his 'Down The Dog' podcast described 'Bog Standard' as 'a great name that!'.
Phase 2 moved the campaign into the sports space, with partnerships with Manchester United FC, Cardiff City FC and others signing up to the Bog Standard:
A total of 10 Premier League, Championship and Division 1 football teams signed up to the Bog Standard, with one supporter involved in the campaign saying:
“I may never be 100% dry again and I’ve accepted that. But, watching a game at Old Trafford at the end of last year, knowing there were bins and products there for me if I needed them, was just brilliant. It meant I could be in the moment with my friends, enjoy the football, not worrying.”
“I may never be 100% dry again and I’ve accepted that. But, watching a game at Old Trafford at the end of last year, knowing there were bins and products there for me if I needed them, was just brilliant. It meant I could be in the moment with my friends, enjoy the football, not worrying.”
The campaign won B2B Campaign of the Year and Best Use of Creativity (B2B) at the 2025 PRMoment North awards (see https://www.prmomentawards.com/the-winners-of-the-prmoment-awards-north-2025)
The campaign has also resulted in an increase of nearly 2,000 men using Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group's prostate cancer risk checkers.
The campaign has also resulted in an increase of nearly 2,000 men using Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group's prostate cancer risk checkers.