Cancer Research UK has urged Preston residents to make a date for this summer’s Race for Life event to help fund vital research.

The much-loved events aim to return to the city this summer, but with socially distanced measures to keep participants safe. 

The events, which are set to take place at Moor Park on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 August, are open to people of all ages and abilities. The events include a 3K, 5K, 10K, and Pretty Muddy, a mud-splattered obstacle course.   

Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, saving lives as the charity fights back from the impact of the pandemic.   

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Every year around 42,300 people are diagnosed with cancer in the North West, and one in two people in the UK born after 1960  will get cancer in their lifetime.

Siobhan Byrne, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Preston, said: “Race for Life offers the perfect opportunity for people across the area to run, walk or jog and raise money for life-saving research.  

“All 400 mass participation Race for Life events across the UK were cancelled last year to protect the country’s health during the pandemic. So this year, more than ever, we need people to enter – for the people we love, for the people we’ve lost, and for the one in two of us who will get cancer.”   

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Race for Life, which has been in partnership with Tesco for 20 years, is a series of 3K, 5K, 10K, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events that raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer.

The money raised funds research into 200 types of cancer, including bowel cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children’s cancers, and leukaemia.    

This year, participants will set off on the course, either alone or in small, socially distanced groups. Hand sanitiser will also be provided, with participants encouraged to use it before and after the event.

Siobhan said: “We’ll ask participants to respect social distancing before, during and after the event.  

“But we promise our events will remain colourful, emotional and uplifting. The safety of our participants is our priority. We’ve been monitoring the situation and have developed ways to ensure our events can operate safely, following government guidance.

“Sadly, cancer touches almost every family at some point. Every step our scientists make towards beating cancer relies on our supporters. That’s why we need as many people as possible across  Preston to join us, to stand united and do something extraordinary to help beat cancer.

“We know that 2020 was a year like no other, and we had to overcome many challenges thrown our way during the global pandemic. Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer. We are absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow.” 

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, Cancer Research UK’s work in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

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The charity spent over £33 million in the North West last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.

If any Race for Life events are cancelled, people will be entitled to a refund of their entry fee or can choose to donate it.

Anyone who signs up between 21 June and 4 July 2021 can claim 30 per cent off the entry fee by using the code RFLJUNE30. 

Enter at raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.  

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