A KIPPAX mum and son are hoping to inspire people to unite against cancer by taking part in a special Race for Life weekend this September after completing their own Ben Nevis ballerina challenge.
Liz Ellwood, 43, has taken part in Race for Life every year since 2009 and hoped to join the event again this year in Leeds for her 12th consecutive time.
But sadly the Leeds Race for Life, which was due to take place on May 31, was among 400 mass participation events which organisers Cancer Research UK cancelled this year to protect the country’s health during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The charity is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income in the year ahead with a £44 million cut to life-saving research funding already.
Now to help tackle the devastating loss, undeterred women and men are vowing to raise funds by completing their own Race for Life 5K in their nearest green space on Saturday September 26th.
They plan to take part outdoors either alone or in small, socially distanced groups – but all on the same day – to help people with cancer. Supporters can visit raceforlife.org and sign up free for a “Very 2020 Race for Life.”
Among those already doing what they can to support Cancer Research UK in their time of need is Liz and her son Dalton, 9.
Liz, who works for Wakefield District Housing, started taking part in Race for Life in 2009 following the death of her grandma to lung cancer.
She said: “Following the passing of my Grandma, I decided to do my bit supporting Cancer Research UK in their bid to find a cure and kinder treatments. I had already watched two friends go through their own battles with cancer and come out the other side prior to this.
“Since 2009 we have seen two other friends affected by cancer, a family member survive bowel cancer and sadly three family members pass with this awful disease, including two uncles and my niece’s mum. For that reason, I am very passionate about raising money for Cancer Research UK and doing all I can to support them, so when Race for Life was cancelled this year there was no way I was going to miss a year doing my bit.”
The fundraising duo, who were due to be taking part in Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy kids in Leeds this May, decided rather than doing a regular 5km challenge they would up the ante and think big.
Liz said: “We spent a few weeks thinking of what we could do that was a bit outside the box and we finally decided on a virtual climb of Ben Nevis. To make things even more interesting we decided to do it while dressed in inflatable ballerina suits.”
Over 14 days the pair climbed the equivalent height of Ben Nevis, which was 587 flights of stairs, 42 flights each per day. In doing so they have raised just under £800.
Liz said: “As part of our challenge we posted daily photos and videos, in our inflatable ballerina suits to keep our friends entertained including videos of us dancing Gangnam Style, the Inbetweeners dance, Monica dancing from Friends, plus other silly videos of headstands, tippleovers and the worst break dancing you have ever seen!
“That as well as a raffle has helped us raise a great amount of money and we’re grateful to our friends and family who supported us and watched our silliness during the two weeks.
“We had hoped to send the photographs and videos to our friend in hospital to provide a chuckle and lift his spirits but sadly he passed away the day before our challenge started. With the support and encouragement from his wife and family we pressed on with the challenge in his memory.”
This isn’t the first time the mother-son duo have joined forces to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
In 2018 the mums from Daltons rugby team, Kippax Welfare formed the Tackle Bags and took part in the Pretty Muddy event while the players ran alongside the mums, cheering them on and asking the volunteers to cover them in extra mud on their approach to each obstacle.
The teammates enjoyed watching the fun the mums had so much that when Race for Life launched the Pretty Muddy Kids, Dalton, who is a pupil at Kippax Greenfield, took part with his teammates from the rugby team.
Liz added: “Over the years I have been joined in the events not only by my son Dalton, but also by my mum, sister-in-law, mother-in-law, niece, many fantastic friends and even our dog Cara. Our aim as always was to make people smile at the same time as raising money and awareness for this incredible cause. We hope this year we have inspired others to sign up to this special Race for Life weekend as an alternative to the normal event.
“We are so proud of our family and friends who have supported us and proud to be part of the Race for Life community. Well done to everyone who has completed a lockdown challenge and who are signing up for the big event in September.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring series of 5K, 10K, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.
Thanks to the generosity of participants, Race for Life Leeds last year raised £232,000 to support vital research to develop gentler and more effective treatments for cancer – a disease that will affect one-in-two people in the UK at some stage in their lives.
A live broadcast on the Cancer Research UK Race for Life Facebook page at 9.30am on Saturday September 26th, will include an energiser from a fitness expert as well as inspirational messages of support from people who have been through cancer. Participants are then free to set off on their own Race for Life. Organisers are also inviting participants to share photos and videos on social media using the hashtag, #Very2020RaceForLife.
Around 30,500 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Yorkshire*. But the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity currently funds around 50 per cent of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK. However, as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, promising projects which could have the big answers to cancer are being held up.
Lisa Millett continued: “Cancer is still happening right now and we won’t let 2020 stop us.
“Vital cancer research has been delayed this year. Even though we have to Race for Life differently in 2020, nothing’s going to stop us running, walking or jogging to raise money and help beat cancer. Whatever the hurdle, we’ll keep going and we’d urge as many people as possible in Leeds to join us for a Very 2020 Race for Life on September 26.
“People can set off from their home to complete 5K their way that day. Whether people are taking part in Race for Life this September in their local park or even in their back garden, they’ll be united by a determination to beat cancer together. This is going to be a very 2020 Race for Life but together we will still beat cancer.”
Visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770. Join in and share with #Very2020RaceForLife
