FALCONS PLAYER TU’IPULOTU PRESENTS ANONYMOUS DONATION
A cheque £49,598 was presented to the NECCR today at Complete Football in Gosforth Park, during the launch of the Run which is the charity’s main fund raising event.
Chairman of NECCR, David Wood was delighted with donation, he said: “The NECCR fund was set up to ensure that funds were raised to support research into children’s cancer, every year since we set up the fund people have done all sorts of weird and wonderful things to raise money for our cause. On behalf of the NECCR committee I want to sincerely thank our anonymous benefactor for their enormous generosity.”
“It was certainly a great surprise and tremendous boost to our funds to receive such a large donation, and the fact that it was anonymous says a great deal about the donor. Our research team in Newcastle is at the forefront of developments and donations like this mean this cutting edge research can be extended.”
The launch of the Children’s Cancer Run marks the count down to Sunday 19th May this year when runner are invited to take on the five mile cross country course at Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth Park. With some help from Metro Radio’s breakfast show hosts Steve and Karen, Run Chairman Chris Peacock and Sir James Spence Chair of Child Health, Professor Josef Vormoor spoke of targets for this years run.
Chris, who inspired the creation of the run 31 years ago, commented: “The money raised for the NECCR is vitally important not only for children in the North East, but across the world. The more people that take part in the run, the more research into cures and medication for childhood cancer can be undertaken. Without the run and the funds it raises through sponsorship, the research simply could not be carried out at the level it is.”
“When I was first diagnosed with cancer of the kidney at the age of four I was given just a 30% chance of survival, now the figure is at 80%. The research has come on leaps and bounds since 1982, which is in no small parts thanks to run.”
Professor Josef Vormoor, added: “In Britain approximately one in 500 children and young people will develop cancer; that’s two people from the North east every week. This is an astonishing figure which shows that the research is needed more than ever in order to lower this figure further. Over the time that the run has been helping to fund our research survival rates have increased dramatically, but cancer remains the biggest cause of child death and we need to keep working hard to change this.”
“We want to encourage people to take part in our run not just because of the work we can do with the funds raised, but because it’s a fun day, a great way to spend time with the family while doing something worthwhile.”
The launch was given an additional boost by the attendance of Newcastle Falcons Centre, Tane Tu’Ipulotu who kindly presented Professor Vormoor with the anonymous cheque for the NECCR fund.
Children from Greenfields Primary School, Wideopen and Hadrian Park primary School in Wallsend came along to the launch and were treated to Gregg’s Gingerbread men as they posed for photographs with Tane, Steve and Karen and former Newcastle United star Paul Bracewell.
The Children’s Cancer Run, which is sponsored by Gregg’s, is a five-mile fundraising fun run for the NECCR fund, which enables vital research into medication and cures for children’s cancer. Even 31 years after it began the race still holds the record for the most amount of money raised for one charity by a single event.
The Children’s Cancer Run will be held at Newcastle Racecourse on Sunday 19th May 2013. There is a five-mile cross country run and a one-mile event for under-sevens. Entry is £12 or £6 for under-sevens. For more information or to book a place online go to www.childrenscancerrun.co.uk or email childrenscancerrun@ncl.ac.uk.
