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To mark Dying Matters Awareness Week (16-22 May), a group of senior academics and staff from The University of Nottingham have revealed that they have now raised over £50,000 for palliative care research.
While pleased to have reached the landmark ahead of their gruelling 1,000 mile Life Cycle this August, the team are now keen to boost their total in order to reach their £150,000 fundraising target.
The eleven cyclists have also stepped up their training in preparation for the 13-day John O’Groats to Land’s End ride, which has been organised to help the University’s Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care.
On announcing the total raised so far Vice-Chancellor Professor David Greenaway, who will lead the team, described Dying Matter Awareness Week as a fitting landmark in the team’s fundraising efforts. He explained that the week – established to promote public awareness of dying, death and bereavement – also highlights why the challenge that they face is so important.
Prof Greenaway said: “Raising awareness about dying, death and bereavement through events like the Dying Matters Awareness Week helps to focus on issues which are often not openly discussed.
“Research shows that prompting these types of conversation supports individuals and their families in what is an incredibly stressful experience for all concerned. The role the Sue Ryder Care Centre plays in research on end of life care is fundamentally important, and gives us a clear focus for what we want to achieve through our Life Cycle challenge.”
With the event also marking the build-up to the autumn launch of the University’s £150 million fundraising campaign – the largest in the institution’s history – the Vice-Chancellor is keen for as many people as possible to join in. Friends, former students and supporters are invited to cycle from University Park to meet the team at Sutton Bonington Campus on Saturday 3 September.
However, Prof Greenaway knows that for those who will be taking on the challenge in its entirety, a lot of hard work still needs to be done despite initial training having gone very well.
He continued: “Most of us are already cycling distances we have not done before. We are receiving advice from experienced colleagues and students in the University on training patterns, nutrition and basic wellbeing for an endurance event like this. I have no doubts that we will be ready for August. Raising funds for the Sue Ryder Care Centre, means we are not short of motivation to succeed.”
The ride will begin on 27 August. To support the Vice-Chancellor and his team, find out where the money will go or see a provisional route, please visit: www.nottingham.ac.uk/lifecycle. This site will be regularly updated during each step of the team’s journey. You can also make a donation at: http://www.justgiving.com/nottinghamlifecycle
To find out more about the Dying Matters Awareness Week visit: http://www.dyingmatters.org/
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Notes to editors: Please see the full list of staff taking part below:
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Professor David Greenaway - Vice-Chancellor
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Professor Karen Cox - Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Staffing and Community
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Professor Alan Ford - Dean of the Faculty of Arts
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Mr Chris Jagger - Chief Estates and Facilities Officer
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Professor Nick Miles - Provost & CEO, University of Nottingham Ningbo China
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Dr Andrew Noyes – Professor of Education
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Mrs Kate Robertson - Director of Development and Alumni Relations
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Professor Chris Rudd - Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Knowledge Transfer and Business Engagement
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Professor David Walker - Professor of Paediatric Oncology
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Mr Steve Wright – University Driver
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Professor Neville Wylie - Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
More information about the Sue Ryder Care Centre for the Study of Supportive, Palliative and End of Life Care can be found at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/NMP/Research/SPC/index.aspx
The Centre led by Professors Jane Seymour and Karen Cox has a special collaborative relationship with the charity Sue Ryder Care, and is pleased to be able to share the name of this key provider of palliative and neurological care. For more information about the charity, please visit http://www.suerydercare.org/
The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news