88 Marks to Raise £88k For Prostate Cancer UK and Set a Unique Golf World Record
If your name is Mark and play golf you could be a part of “On Your Marks” and be one of just 88 people called Mark aiming to raise a minimum of £88k for Prostate Cancer UK by setting a World Record for the largest golf competition where everyone has the same name.
Since Mark Tayloe got his diagnosis, he’s set out to do something to change it for others. He raised £24k one year and £48k another year by playing 72 holes in day with seven friends. Last year he played 100 holes in a day with 28 others at Beaconsfield Golf Club raising £360,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and Breast Cancer Now.
On Your Marks came out of a lunch of Marks. Mark Taylor has been part of organising an annual Marks’ lunch within the media industry for 35 years. At one of these lunches, three of these Marks: Mark Taylor (Tommy), Mark Wood (Woody) & Mark Palmer (Cole) came up with this unique idea to raise funds, shift the needle and raise a smile. Now supported by Prostate Cancer UK, it’s morphed into a World Record attempt supported and ratified by England Golf that will take place at historic Royal Blackheath Golf Club on Monday 21st September 2026.
Mark Foster, 5-time Olympian, 6-time World Champion and 8-time World Record holder is one of the Marks playing and trying to set another World Record.
The most famous UK professional golfer called Mark, Mark James (Former Ryder Cup Captain), has become “On Your Marks” Ambassador.
Mark James (Jesse) commented: “This is a great idea for a very worthy cause. It’s remarkable how many people I know who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. My oldest friend has just had months of hormone treatment and radiotherapy for the last four weeks. He told me to get tested recently (negative fortunately), so after his experience of having had no symptoms, like Chris Hoy, I made the effort. I would be delighted to support “On Your Marks” in any way I can in that respect or any other.”
Seren Evans, Senior Head of Mass Fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Mark Taylor for continuing his brilliant support this year. A World Record attempt involving 88 Marks and aiming to raise £88,000 takes it to another level. It’s a wonderfully imaginative idea that brings people together and shines a light on the most common cancer in the UK”
Mark Taylor commented: “One in eight Men in the UK are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer every year and 11,000-12,000 deaths annually. I am one of the lucky ones by having had a PSA test every year for ten years. I’m living with it, but friends are suffering and have died of it by not catching it early enough. I am lucky to have a large group of friends from the advertising / media industry who always support my challenges and fundraising efforts…. A BIG Thank You them.
All monies raised by the 88 Marks world record and the linked auction will be ring fenced to fund a research project reprogramming immune cells to fight prostate cancer. Total cost of research is £350,000.
An On Your Marks online auction is also being assembled where Celebrity Marks, Sports Marks, Business Marks & Friends of Marks donate items everyone can bid on.
There is no precise record of how many Marks there are in the UK. It is estimated that Marks make up just under 1% of the UK population, that means there are estimated over 600,000 Marks. A statistical estimate of probability of Marks who play golf in the UK could make it as many as 100,000. Mark was a dominant name for newborn boys from the early 1960s through the late 1970s. Mark is therefore a name more common for those who could be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.
People can register your interest, support and to join this unique fund-raising effort here: https://onyourmarksgolf.com/
Notes to Editors
For more information contact Mark Taylor: marktaylor@onyourmarks.com
07949296154
About Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer UK is the leading charity for men with prostate cancer. It funds groundbreaking research, provide expert support and information, and lead campaigns to raise awareness and improve care. Its top priority is to fund research into better treatments and tests so that, ultimately, we can stop prostate cancer being a killer. It won’t stop until we live in a world where no man dies of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. 1 in 8 men in the UK will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Rates increasing with age (especially over 50). It’s predominantly a disease of older men, with most diagnoses in those aged 65-69. Every day in the UK, an average of 125 men are diagnosed with the disease, and one man dies from it every 45 minutes. https://prostatecanceruk.org/
Royal Blackheath Golf Club was instituted in 1608. It is the oldest golf club in England and one of the most historic in the world. Set in South East London, the Club offers an outstanding 18-hole parkland course and a distinguished Grade I listed clubhouse, providing a setting where tradition and modern club life sit comfortably side by side. It is credited with pioneering the concept of “open” golf competitions and introducing competitive medal play in the late 18th century, predating the Open Championship by over a decade. Its hosted an “open” competition in 1847 and established the first gold medal competition in 1792. https://www.royalblackheath.com
About England Golf
England Golf is the governing body for amateur golf in England, responsible for promoting and growing the game. As a National Governing Body, England Golf represents over 1,800 affiliated clubs and more than 700,000 members, providing a safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environment for all golfers. Through initiatives like Get into Golf and iPlay, and by administering the World Handicap System (WHS) and hosting major amateur championships, England Golf is dedicated to shaping the future of the sport. https://www.englandgolf.org
Mark James is the most famous UK professional golfer called Mark. As well as captaining the Ryder Cup Team, he represented Europe seven times as a player. He is a 32-time professional winner across various tours, including 18 European Tour victories. He recorded seven top-10 Order of Merit finishes.
Further Information
Funds raised from “On Your Marks” will go expressly towards genome sequencing and immunotherapy research project at Oxford University, led by Dr Hazimi. This project aims to create a new treatment for prostate cancer by changing a man’s own immune cells to better detect and destroy cancer cells. The modified cells would act like a vaccine, teaching the immune system to recognise and fight cancer, reducing the risk of the cancer coming back.This approach could potentially lead to treatments that work for other types of cancer too, offering new hope for even more people. https://prostatecanceruk.org/research/research-we-fund/tld-caf24-007
There are estimated to be around 500,000 to 600,000 people named Mark in the UK. Because the UK does not maintain a single, publicly searchable live database of every citizen’s first name, this figure is extrapolated from statistical demographic modeling and birth records. According to global name analytics and census data provided by Genderize.io, people named Mark make up approximately 0.91% of the UK population. Based on the current UK population of roughly 67–68 million, this equates to roughly 610,000 individuals.There maybe an estimated 90-100,000 golfers called Mark in the UK, weighting golf playing by age and sex. There are a variety of famous celebrities called Mark who play golf – including actors Mark Wahlberg. Mark Ruffalo and Mark Hamill. 600,000 Marks as a number is the equivalent to the populations of the cities of Sheffield or Copenhagen, or the country of Luxembourg, or filling 10,000 standard double decker buses, or if closely packed as a crowd the filling of 57 standard football pitches.
Marks who want to be among the first to put your Mark(s) on the tee sheet and be part of the World Record can so do so can do so via the HowDidiDo app. https://www.howdidido.com/Directory/OpenCompetitions/4669 HowDidiDo is the ultimate digital home for club golfers, uniting Europe’s largest online golf network. Integrated with Club Systems International, the platform connects over one million golfers across more than 2,000 golf clubs in the UK and Ireland. The unified app and web platform empower members with WHS handicap tracking, score entry, tee booking, and membership management—all in one intuitive interface.
The special On Your Marks online auction is also currentky being assembled where Celebrity Marks, Sports Marks, Business Marks & Friends of Marks donate items everyone can bid on. People can donate items and bid at the amazing auction which will go live in September here. The auction is being hosted by jumblebee. Jumblebee is a leading fundraising platform that empowers charities, schools, and communities to raise more for their causes through innovative auction technology. Founded over 12 years ago, the platform has supported more than 15,000 auctions and helped raise over £50 million globally. From silent auctions and prize draws to ticket sales and donation pages, jumblebee provides ethical, transparent, and user-friendly tools designed to maximise engagement and streamline the fundraising process.