Peopleare being urged to join an illuminating night-time walking event for Cancer Research UK.
The charity’s Shine Night Walk, which is returning to the city, will take place on Saturday 1 October.
Entries are open now for the 10k event, where participants can choose to raise money for the area of life-saving research closest to their hearts. This includes research into prostate cancer, breast cancer, bowel cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, brain tumours, children’s cancers and leukaemia. Or they can simply give their backing to Cancer Research UK’s overall work.
York is one of just 19 locations across the UK selected to host a Shine Night Walk in 2022.
The event starts at Rowntree Park at 7pm, when participants will take to the city’s streets in a fun and inspirational parade of light that – stride by stride – will help the charity get closer to beating cancer.
Passing some of York famous landmarks, the route takes you near Clifford’s Tower, past York Minster and in front of Yorkshire Museum.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, around 32,500 people are diagnosed with cancer each year.* But, thanks to research, more people than ever across the UK are surviving for 10 years or more.
2022 marks 20 years since Cancer Research UK was formed and, in celebration, the charity is paying tribute to its supporters for the part they have played in this progress.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for North Yorkshire, Michaela Robinson-Tate, said:
Every day we see the benefits of research we’ve previously funded being realised, helping people live longer and healthier lives. So, as we mark our 20th anniversary, we want to put our York supporters in the spotlight and say a heartfelt thank you for their incredible commitment to events like Shine Night Walk.
One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime**, and so we will never stop striving to create better treatments for tomorrow. That’s why we need everyone to play their part – for one night on 1 October the city’s streets are ours and we’re going to make it a night to remember.
Whether people walk for someone they know or to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured, every step – from York Minster to the Shambles and beyond – will raise vital funds for life-saving research. We’ve come so far. And we will go much further. Together we will beat cancer.
Supporters of all abilities can take part in Shine Night Walk and training advice is available on the website.10k is just over 6 miles and takes between 1.5 to 3 hours to complete. Participants can go at their own pace, from a leisurely stroll to a lively stride or a full-on power walk passing the city’s well-loved landmarks.
People can also show their support by volunteering on the night and becoming a beacon in the dark to help participants take on the challenge. From guiding supporters around the city to helping set up the course, there are lots of opportunities to get involved.
Michaela added:
Money raised through Shine Night Walk is crucial to the pioneering work of doctors, nurses and scientists who are tackling cancer on all fronts – so, we hope people in York will grab their glow-in-the-dark accessories, pull on their walking shoes and help them go the distance in the fight against the disease.
Last year Cancer Research UK was able to spend around £6 million in Yorkshire on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research. Research happening right now in Yorkshire includes uncovering the biology of blood cancers to find new treatments and studying how the chemical signals in our bodies cause
myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of blood cancer, to develop. A better understanding of this process could help scientists find ways to target these chemical signals with drugs, which could lead to new life-saving treatments.
To enter or volunteer visit shinewalk.org
Anyone who signs up between 22 and 30 August can claim 30 per cent off the entry fee by using the code SNWAUG30.
