Press Release - 9th September
2004
Gillian & Iola Put Their Best Feet Forward For Christie's
Photographed handing the cheque over are: Front row LtoR Iola Hart and Gillian Gregory. Back rown LtoR Kenneth Hart, Christie regional appeals officer Jacky Plant and Hindle Gregory A Bolton
woman who experienced breast cancer retraced the path of her life to
thank The Christie where she was treated.
Gillian Gregory,
aged 56, donned her walking shoes to trek 127 miles from Liverpool to Leeds
to thank staff at the hospital for treating
her in 2001.
She was joined by friend Iola Hart, aged 65, undertaking
the massive challenge in just 10 days. And between them, they have managed
to
raise a huge £5,876 through generous sponsorship and collections,
which will go towards research and equipment at Christie's - Europe's
largest cancer treatment centre.
Gillian, from Ladybridge, said: "I
was born in Liverpool and brought up in Leeds, and have lived in between
in Bolton ever since,
so I thought it would be nice to retrace the path of my life to raise
money for the hospital that saved it. The care I received at Christie's
was tremendous so I didn't even hesitate to do something to help
the hospital in return for everything they did for me."
The walk saw Gillian and Iola walking 12 miles each day along the
towpaths of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. They had a superb support
team in their husbands, Hindle and Kenneth, who drove the ladies
to their start point each day and picked them up again when their
walking was over. The men also found time to collect more than £1,110
in canal side pubs while the ladies were walking.
Gillian and Iola were
also helped by clothing firms Asics UK and Regatta who donated essential
equipment including walking shoes,
clothing, back packs and weatherproof jackets.
Gillian added: "Iola
and I go walking together every week, but we still faced a challenge in
walking 12 miles every day. Fortunately
we were very lucky with the weather and we managed to complete our
challenge on time, thoroughly enjoying the whole experience and knowing
that at the same time we had raised a large amount of money for Christie's.
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The Christie in Manchester is one of the leading cancer centres in Europe - registering around 12,500 new patients and treating about 40,000 patients every year.
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