Hundreds gather to raise money for north east cancer charity

Apr 21, 2016 by Sam Doyle in Community

Over 250 runners took braved the mud of Freemans Park on Sunday April 17^th in aid of the local blood-cancer charity Bright Red.

Event co-ordinator Ashley Elliot praised the community spirit of the charity and the eclectic mix of runners. From patients and their families, children, general fundraisers and even three of our own from JesmondLocal.

The winner of the five kilometre run clocked a time of 22 minutes but the day was not one of competition, rather of comradery. Around 50 people turned up to show their support for the runners and there was a warmth and friendliness to the atmosphere. This was demonstrated in the Zumba based warm up where the runners were lead in an array of dance moves, to their supporters’ delight.

The broad range of participants and their motivations was clear when we spoke to runners at the finish line. One woman told us how she had been spurred into four months of fundraising by the sudden diagnosis of a close relative; another by his own experience in battling the disease. Others ran simply out of compassion for a good cause and to keep fit.

This was the four^th fun-run that Bright Red has organised and it is growing year on year. Elliot told JesmondLocal: “The turnout is absolutely fab considering it was pouring down with rain last night.”

The turnout was so large Elliot hopes to raise around £10,000 which can be used to buy furniture and equipment for the new ECP centre (which Bright Red also helped fund) for those who suffer from the side effects of treatment.

This emphasis on patient care and support shows the broadening scope of the charity has taken since its 2010 remodelling. Formed in 1988, the charity was originally focused on gathering funds for scientific research into blood-cancers and their treatments.

“A lot of people don’t realise how common it [blood cancer] is’,” Elliot noted. A larger public profile along with patrons such as former Olympian and blood-cancer survivor Charlie Spedding is helping the charity achieve their aim of “making the north east the safest place for a patient to have blood cancer”.