CRANHAM MARATHON DUO RUN |
On Sunday 25 th April, Cranham residents Gill Walker and her husband Mike (pictured) will be running in the Virgin London Marathon 2010 in support of Bowel Cancer UK, which raises funds for and awareness of bowel cancer. Gill said: "We have chosen to run for this charity in memory of my dad Albert Cox who sadly died of bowel cancer when he was just 33.
"As well as pounding the freezing streets of Havering on our long training runs, we have been busy fundraising to meet our target of £3,300 – which is £100 for every year of Albert's life – and you may have noticed our Community Matters box in Waitrose throughout February. I am delighted to report that Waitrose will be presenting us with a cheque for Bowel Cancer UK for the fantastic sum of £471 and we would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Waitrose and to all the Cranham and Upminster residents who voted for us.
"We would also like to say a big thank you to all our friends, family and colleagues who have donated directly to our marathon fund, your generosity has made all the months of training worthwhile. If any other local residents would like to support the excellent work of Bowel Cancer UK by making a donation to our marathon fund we would be extremely grateful. We have until the end of May to reach our target and if you would like to sponsor us you can donate by visiting our Just Giving page at http://www.justgiving.com/GillandMike-Walker/ where you can read our full story and make a donation online, or by sending us a cheque made payable to Bowel Cancer UK".
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK and more than 16,000 people die each year; that's someone every 30 minutes. If diagnosed at the earliest stage, bowel cancer is highly treatable, with a survival rate of more than 80% over five years. Unfortunately many people don't go to the doctor until it is too late because they are too embarrassed to discuss their symptoms. Please don't let embarrassment kill you – for a full list of symptoms visit the Bowel Cancer UK website at http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk . Better to be red than dead!
Gill concluded: "Thank you for taking the time to read this – your support would be really appreciated".
Gill Walker
3 Park Avenue
Cranham
RM14 1JS
3.3.10