Scots are being urged to unite with some of the brightest stars from TV, film and radio and Stand Up To Cancer this autumn.
Celebrities including Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Bill Bailey, Edith Bowman and Kirstie Allsopp are backing Stand Up to Cancer, a joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.
Stand Up To Cancer aims to speed up the translation of brilliant scientific discoveries to help get new, better, kinder tests and treatments to cancer patients, faster.
Anstruther-born tv and radio presenter Edith Bowman is supporting the campaign because of the impact cancer has had on her family.
She said: “My first experience with cancer was when I was eight and my cousin Suzie, who was nine, died.
“She had a rare type of bone cancer. She’d break her arm all the time- she’d literally walk in to a door and her arm would go. In the end they amputated her arm but sadly the cancer had spread. She was the most amazing little thing.
“I still remember things like being at my aunt’s wedding. We have this brilliant picture of us all as flower girls, going down in height from the tallest to the smallest, all in the same dresses apart from Suzie, who was given this little cape because she had a prosthetic arm. She was given a cape, not to hide it, but to make her feel special. I remember her coming up to my mum as the dancing started that night at the wedding, going ‘Auntie Eleanor, can you take my arm off, I can’t dance properly. It’s too heavy.’ She was just this amazing little ball of energy and she was so clever too. I remember going to her funeral, we weren’t allowed to go to the graveside but we went to the church service.
“After that my grandad died of cancer, then my uncle, then my aunt and then my grandma. My mum had breast cancer – but thankfully she got the all clear.
“Because of these experiences I’ll grab any opportunity to draw attention to the fight against cancer, that’s why I love the whole attitude of Stand Up To Cancer.”
Since it was launched in the UK in 2012, Stand Up To Cancer has raised more than £38 million to fund over 40 clinical trials and research projects.
These include the development of the ‘chemo package’ to deliver treatment at the best time for the patient; testing arsenic as a weapon to make cancer implode and using viruses to seek and destroy cancer cells.
Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland said: “Every day, doctors, nurses, scientists and researchers work tirelessly to beat cancer. Stand Up To Cancer raises money to speed up breakthroughs from the lab to patients.
“We’re on the brink of a revolution in cancer research – thanks to improvements in treatments and early diagnosis, more people are surviving than ever before. But we can’t afford to stand still. It’s time to rebel against cancer, raise money and save lives. Every pound raised for Stand Up to Cancer will help to support this progress and bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”
“There are many ways to join the rebellion against cancer. You can get creative in the kitchen, get sponsored to stand out in orange at work or school and, for the very brave, do a sponsored wax or head shave to raise as much cash as possible. A free fundraising pack is available, full of fun and creative ways to conjure up cash.”
This year, Stand Up To Cancer culminates with a night of special programming on Channel 4 on Friday 3rd November 2017.
For more information, go to www.standuptocancer.org.uk.