A new twilight walk is taking place in Manchester in June that will help raise money to support those living with cancer.
Maggie’s, a charity which has centres across the country near NHS hospitals to help cancer patients access advice in a calm, friendly, uplifting space, will host the Walk for Maggie’s fundraising event on Friday, June 28.
Those who sign up to the event can choose to walk either a five or ten mile route, which will start and finish at the Maggie’s Manchester centre, located near to The Christie hospital on Kinnaird Road in Withington.
The walking route will feature a stopping-off point halfway through at The Whitworth Art Gallery for refreshments and live entertainment. The Maggie’s centre will also host a party at the finish line for everyone taking part.
Those wanting to take part will have to raise at least £80 in donations, with a £15 registration fee to sign up. All money raised will go towards supporting people living with cancer by delivering individual and group support sessions, practical advice drop-in sessions and creating a social setting to hang out and relax.
Richard Baldwin, 64, was referred to the Maggie’s Manchester centre after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October 2022. Having had the tumour removed, he visited the centre whilst receiving chemotherapy at The Christie.
“I was welcomed at Maggie’s by a very caring and professional team who listened to my concerns and helped me deal with my diagnosis,” Richard explained. “They are a fantastic group of people and they also provided helpful courses including Managing Stress.
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“I wanted to help raise funds for Maggie’s so I signed up to take part in a 10k sponsored walk last year. During chemotherapy I lost over four stone, my energy was so low – with only five months to go before the walk, I could only manage 50 metres.
“With the support of family and friends, I completed the walk which gave me a huge sense of achievement and great satisfaction that I was able to do my little bit to help Maggie’s continue their fantastic work by raising over £3,000. It gave me so much confidence and I felt amazing.
“I am delighted to be taking part in this year’s sponsored walk to help Maggie’s, as they continue to support me in my cancer journey.”
The charity was set up in 1996 by Maggie Keswick Jencks, who wanted to create a new type of cancer care outside of hospital and clinical settings. There are now around 26 centres across the UK, alongside international spaces in Barcelona, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Robin Muir, Maggie’s Manchester Centre Head, said: “As a charity, the majority of our funding comes from voluntary donations so fundraising events like this are incredibly important to allow us to reach as many people as possible living with cancer.
“I really hope the community gets behind ‘Walk for Maggie’s’ to help us provide expert support to people from across Greater Manchester at what is possibly the hardest time of people’s lives.”
You can sign up to the Walk For Maggie's event here. The walk will take place from 6pm on Friday, June 28.