Bath ASU launches Bath Night Walk

Bath ASU have launched the Bath Night Walk, to take place on Saturday 11th June 2011, to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. For full details visit bathnightwalk.org.

Overall our aim is to raise £60,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support as they celebrate their 100th birthday

The 4.5 mile walk around Bath will take in the beautiful city sites, starting at the Bath Recreation Ground at around 10pm (time TBC) on 11th June 2011. It is open to women only, but men should in no way feel left out. Dozens of volunteers are needed to cheer the walkers on and man the route. Registration is £10, and no minimum sponsorship is required (though an objective of £100 is gently encouraged).

This walk will be a time to get together with friends, family or colleagues. You could walk just to get fit and have some fun, or as a tribute to someone special; perhaps someone who has survived cancer, been a rock of support through your cancer journey, or in memory of someone very special who has passed away?

By 2030 the amount of people living with cancer in the UK will have doubled to 4 million. Currently Macmillan supports 1 million people at any one time but will need to quadruple its income to keep up with the demand.

“We are so delighted that Bath ASU are organising this walk for us. Macmillan is such an important charity in this area. Shockingly, at the Bath RUH over 4 people a day are told they have cancer. Macmillan will support each and every one of them in some way; from a Macmillan Nurse, to a Macmillan Benefits Advisor, to a Green folder received on diagnosis, stuffed full with information provided by Macmillan,” said Anna Cairns, local Fundraising Manager for Macmillan.

With Bath ASU specialising in producing cancer drugs, so Macmillan was a natural choice of charity to support:

“At Bath ASU we live with Cancer every day as we prepare chemotherapy medicines to treat people all over the country. We recently lost a member of our team to cancer and this is our way of making sure that other people can be supported in the same way Sarah was.

“We also have a strong commitment to ensuring that whilst our environmental footprint is small our social footprint is big. Staging this event helps the whole team be a part of that”, said Richard Wastnage, Managing Director, Bath ASU.

The Bath Night Walk will also form part of Macmillan’s 100th birthday celebrations. The organisation was was founded in 1911 by Douglas Macmillan, who was born in Castle Carey in Somerset. Douglas watched his father die of cancer. His father’s pain and suffering moved Douglas so much, he founded the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer, today called Macmillan Cancer Support. Douglas wanted support, advice and information to be provided to all people with cancer. Today Douglas’ legacy lives on. Macmillan are an essential source of support for people living with cancer and are a force for improving cancer care.

To sign up for the Bath Night Walk, simply visit bathnightwalk.org where you can register online or download a hard copy form to complete. Walkers will then be sent a Bath Night Walk pack with everything they need to help raise their sponsorship target and prepare for the walk.