Dog owners across Sussex are being urged to step up to a four-legged fundraising challenge this spring.
Together with their furry friends, they’re being asked to walk 60 miles throughout April to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer, the joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.
The Stand Up To Cancer Dog Walking Challenge asks people and their canine counterparts to clock up the distance – or whatever represents a personal challenge – over the course of the month.
Anything goes, from short strolls with a puppy to longer walks with a hound that likes to hike. What matters most, the charity said, is raising money for life-saving research.
To help fundraisers walk in style, everyone who signs up will receive a free dog bandana.
And for those who want to ensure they’re fully kitted out for the challenge, a range of products from dog beds and cushions, for that all important post-walkies snooze, to bobble hats that will beat the early morning chills, will be available from the Stand Up To Cancer shop later this month.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East, Lynn Daly, said: “‘Walkies’ has always been a popular word, but now we’re giving it new meaning.
More than 50,000 people a year have cancer diagnosed across the south east, according to Cancer Research UK.
Stand Up To Cancer said: “We’re asking the dog walking community to do something ‘paw-some’ this April that could help make the next research breakthrough happen.
“There are lots of benefits to taking part in our dog walking challenge, not least the chance to improve your fitness while raising vital funds.
“We need as many people as possible to take part because the progress we make in the fight against the disease relies on every person, every pound – and now every pet pooch. Now is the time to Stand Up To Cancer.”
Stand Up To Cancer takes developments from the lab and accelerates them into new tests and treatments that could help save the lives of more people.
The campaign is helping to transform the landscape of cancer therapy. Since its launch in the UK in 2012, it has raised more than £113 million, funding 64 clinical trials and research projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients.
Lynn Daly, from Cancer Research UK, said: “From developing a molecule to super-charge the immune system to attack tumours, to re-programming viruses to seek and destroy cancer cells, when it comes to beating cancer our tireless scientists are like a dog with a bone.”
Since the Stand Up To Cancer campaign started in 2012, more than £113 million has been raised, funding at least 64 clinical trials and projects involving more than 13,000 cancer patients.
Supporters have included Gillian Anderson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rosamund Pike, Andy Murray, Toby Jones and Danny Dyer.
To find out more about Stand Up To Cancer and how to support the campaign, visit su2c.org.uk or channel4.com/SU2C or follow the campaign on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.
To sign up to the Stand Up To Cancer Dog Walking Challenge, click here.
