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A team of 32 University of Nottingham staff, students and friends are setting off to cycle the Way of the Roses to help raise £1 million for life-changing breast cancer research.
Setting off on Friday June 3 the team ride Britain’s most popular coast-to-coast cycling challenges- a very hilly 170-mile route from Bridlington, through the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds and Lune Valley, before finishing at Morecombe.
All our cyclists are all riding for Life Cycle 6 – the University’s annual fundraiser – which this year is supporting innovative breast cancer research underway in Nottingham and Derby. It is a sad reality that every day, in the UK, 140 women are told: "you have breast cancer". Around the world, 10,000 women die from the disease every week.
The University, which has a long history of delivering world-leading breast cancer research, is working to develop the world’s first blood test to detect breast cancer early, testing novel drugs developed in Nottingham to stop the disease from spreading, and developing new targeted treatments.
The Life Cycle 6 team includes Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Greenaway, along with former Student Union President Harry Copson and leading breast cancer researcher Professor John Robertson, plus staff from around the University.
The team are also joined by Peter Homa CBE, Chief Executive of Nottingham University Hospitals and Anthony May, Chief Executive of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Helen Taylor has been supporting Life Cycle since 2013. She has organised bake sales, has run a few popular fundraising Ceilidhs and various raffles, and takes on the cycling challenges personally along with her partner David.
She said: “We’re proud to be embarking on the Way of the Roses ride for Life Cycle 6. This year’s cause is particularly poignant as David’s daughter Charlotte was diagnosed with cancer at 16 – a reminder that it can strike at any age - so finding ways to detect the disease early is something very close to our hearts.
“Cycling 170 miles in three days will be tough but every aching muscle is worth it to help raise funds for this vital research.”
To help the riders get off on the right foot, the Trent Building on University Park will be bathed in pink light for the weekend. It will turn pink once again for two weeks at the end of August, when the Vice-Chancellor along with 12 fellow Life Cycle 6 endurance cyclists, take on a gruelling 1,400 mile bike ride, cycling to the four corners of Britain.
Life Cycle Miles – your mile for breast cancer research
Our cyclists are also reaching out to the local community and offering to ride each mile of their cycling challenges in honour of women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. They have set up a Facebook group – Life Cycle Miles – and are encouraging people to join and share a story or picture about the person they want to celebrate. Find out more at www.facebook.com/groups/lifecyclemiles
You can help support our intrepid Way of the Roses cyclists by sponsoring the team. Find out more about our research, and other ways to get involved on our Life Cycle pages.
PHOTOCALL
Friday 3 June
6.30am to 7.30am – riders are meeting at 6.30am and will depart for Bridlington with the support team at 7.30am.
The Trent Building – University Park, NG7 2QL
For more information contact Lindsay Brooke, Media Relations Manager, +44 (0)115 95 15751, lindsay.brooke@nottingham.ac.uk.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…