Race for the last places hots up!

Lily and her mum Jayne, early entrants for the Race for Life

Oldham women are being urged to seize their last chance to enter Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Alexandra Park.

More than 1,700 women have already accepted the charity’s invitation to sign-up for the three mile, five-kilometre, women-only event on July 18 — only 800 places are left.

Entries close on July 15 and organisers are encouraging mums, daughters, sisters, friends and colleagues to join in the UK’s largest women-only fundraising series of events. All the money raised goes to fund Cancer Research UK’s lifesaving work.

Rachel Hewitt, Event Manager, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that so many women will be taking part in Race for Life in Oldham.

“Together, they will help us create a fantastic atmosphere on the day and raise crucial funds to help beat cancer.

“But we don’t want anyone to miss out. There are limited places left for the Oldham event so we are reminding women who want to take part at this venue that they must enter as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.” This year, Cancer Research UK hopes that 2500 women will hit a fundraising target of £118,000.



Running and walking for a great cause

A mother and daughter from Royton will be lacing up their trainers to support Cancer Research UK next month. Jayne Greaves and 14-year-old Lily are taking part in the all-women Race for Life event at Heaton Park, Manchester.

And Jayne, a self-employed training consultant, reckons Lily, a Royton and Crompton school pupil, will be dragging her round. She said: “She is very sporty, she plays ice hockey and does dance and takes part in all the sports at school.

“I will most definitely be walking, there will be no running. We have bought the Race for Life T-shirts so we are well kitted out.”

They are running in memory of Lily’s aunt, and Jayne’s sister-in-law, Val Mahney, who died on New Year’s Eve, 2009, following a kidney tumour. But they are also celebrating after the teenage son of a friend received the all clear after treatment for a bone cancer.

Jayne, who works in the construction industry with her company JG Training and Development, would have liked to take part in the Oldham Race for Life at Alexandra Park on July 18, but a family commitment means they will walk the three mile, five kilometre Heaton Park event a week earlier.




Tricia and her family’s battle



An Oldham civil servant recovering from breast cancer is taking part in the Race for Life to encourage women to get regular health checks.



Tricia McCleery (43), who works for the Department for Work and Pensions at Phoenix House, is taking part in the Alexandra Park event on July 18 for the fourth time.

Taking part in her first Race for Life, which raises money for Cancer Research UK, was inspired by her father Tom (71) when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Sadly, he died three years ago.

Tricia, who is originally from Belfast, then heard that her sister Elizabeth had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and went for a mammogram to check her own health.

Tricia, who has a 17-year-old daughter and lives in Rochdale, said: “I was also diagnosed last May and had surgery in June, and radiotherapy in October. Now I’m just on medication.

“I was told that if I hadn’t gone for the check I would not have found the cancer myself.

“It was a nightmare time, but my sister is also on medication now and I would encourage all women to go for their mammograms.

“I had radiotherapy at the Christie in Manchester, and surgery at North Manchester General Hospital and the treatment I got was the best.

“Obviously another reason to take part is to raise money to fight cancer.”