Flame of Hope Award Winners

‘‘Despite being diagnosed and treated for cancer three times, Alim has worked tirelessly to help raise awareness of the charity in his role as a media volunteer. By sharing his inspirational story across a variety of platforms, including press, PR, social media, marketing and undertaking speaking engagements, Alim’s commitment to the cause is invaluable and he lives and breathes our values. He is a highly engaging speaker and has spoken about his cancer experience in front of both internal and external audiences numerous times over the past ten years.’’ 

‘‘David is one of the most dedicated supporters from a corporate partner that we’ve ever come across. His commitment to inspiring others is truly outstanding. David spends much of his time speaking to Amey employees over the phone about Cancer Research UK, our life-saving work and our partnership, persuading them to get involved. This is reflected in the successes we’ve seen where, in only a year, over £115,000 has been raised. Earlier this year, David managed to single-handedly recruit over 150 Amey employees for Walk All Over Cancer, and they raised over £28,000.’’ 

‘‘On World Cancer Day in 2020, Charmaine and Baltimore Consulting put on the ‘Bristol SMEs say NO to Cancer’ gala dinner. It was a fantastic event where local cancer survivors spoke about their experiences and helped to raise vital cancer awareness, raising over £25,000! For World Cancer Day 2021, 20 colleagues decided to take on the mammoth challenge of walking 100 miles in 24 hours. They also hosted their Triple 5 Challenge; five people jumping from a plane, talking about five ways they can reduce the risk of cancer and getting 1,000 people to donate £5. There’s no stopping them!’’ 

‘‘Close Brothers have been dedicated supporters of Cancer Research UK since 2013, raising over half a million pounds in that time. A Charity Champion Network of wonderful volunteers runs throughout the organisation with each office having at least one charity champion. With the majority of staff working from home, last year their fundraising was all done virtually. Despite the many obstacles that stood in their way, the Close Brothers Charity Champions adapted brilliantly to the impact of the global pandemic and raised over £44,000 for Cancer Research UK in 2020!’’

‘‘The Guernsey Local Committee established in 1952 has tirelessly supported the work of Cancer Research UK through a jam-packed calendar of annual fundraising events and since their inception, has raised an incredible £1.4 million towards our life-saving research. The group is a powerful force of 10 strong volunteers plus many supporters, and undeterred by the challenges faced during 2020, successfully organised a whole host of events raising an impressive £30,000. The committee members are so passionate about our work and truly are the face of Cancer Research UK in their local community.’’ 

‘‘Patrick was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkins Lymphoma in March 2020 at the age of 19. He has since received the all clear, but his diagnosis and treatment spurred him on to ‘give back’. Patrick was at university when he was undergoing treatment and together with his house mates he devised a challenge called PaTrek2021. This involved walking the canal routes, for 280 miles in one week, from the London School of Economics to The Christie Hospital where he was treated. Before his challenge commenced, he had already raised £26,000. In total he has banked a phenomenal £34,437 for Cancer Research UK.’’ 

‘‘The Riding for Adam fundraiser was started in 2018 by brothers-in-law, Mark and James, in memory of Adam, James’ son, who passed away from synovial sarcoma at only 23. Since 2018, Mark and James have undertaken cycle challenges of John O’Groats to Lands’ End, Camino De Santiago in Spain, and the Highlands and North Coast of Scotland, raising an incredible £50,000. In addition, a further £125,000 has been raised towards their fundraising as a result of Diversity’s Jordan Banjo’s appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Celebrity Special. Mark and James now aim to raise a huge £250,000 for Cancer Research UK.’’ 

‘‘In her role as editorial director of JPI Media North West, Gill has worked closely with Cancer Research UK to create a media partnership to support Race for Life. This support has proved hugely successful for the event, resulting in high numbers of sign-ups and engagement in Preston. The media partnership has flourished over the past eight years, and it’s thanks to Gill’s passion and commitment to Race for Life that thousands of participants have signed up. No other media partnership exists like this anywhere else in the UK.’’ 

‘‘Janice joined the Lanark Local Committee in 2012. Since becoming a committee member, she has been instrumental in supporting the committee to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK. During 2020, the committee feared their usual events and fundraising would not happen until after the pandemic. Janice decided to ask for people’s unwanted items and sold the items online, raising a staggering £10,000 milestone by March 2021. As soon as restrictions allowed, she also organised a garden sale. Janice has now raised over £15,000 through her fantastic lockdown fundraising initiatives.’’ 

‘‘Susie’s friend Gary had received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Wanting to support Gary, she decided to send him a pair of wellies and a note that said ‘When it rains too hard, go jump in puddles’. Gary responded by sending a photo of himself jumping in a puddle and the idea for the fundraising campaign ‘Jumping in Puddles’ was born. Susie set up a website and used social media to help raise the profile of the campaign, resulting in a number of celebrities also getting involved. A staggering £50,000 was raised between January and March 2021.’’ 

‘‘Deborah was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016. Known as ‘Bowel Babe’, Deborah shares her experience on her social media channels, as well as through a regular column in The Sun and on the BBC podcast: You, Me and the Big C, to raise awareness and change the conversation around cancer. Deborah is passionate about research and works tirelessly to raise awareness and support the work that Cancer Research UK does - whether that’s promoting health messaging, calling on the government to prioritise cancer care or encouraging her network to sign up to our latest fundraising campaigns.”   

"The shop has gone from strength to strength over the last year. The team has trebled their donated sales from £1,100 to £3,600 a week and gained many new supporters. They also increased gift aid contributions from 22% to 56% last year despite the three lockdowns. Even in the face of such a difficult year, the volunteer team, who range from those in their teens through to their 70’s, remain passionate and committed. They are amazing ambassadors for the charity and are truly supportive of their Shop Manager, who, thanks to their help is able to go the extra mile with their fundraising efforts and with thanking supporters personally." 

‘‘Brett has volunteered with Cancer Research UK for over five years, and has volunteered an impressive 6,300 hours. Brett is ever present on our salesfloor at the Rotherham Superstore, and is known by many customers as our face on the high street. He also manages and updates our social media accounts. Brett is a photography enthusiast and is often found taking photos of stock and the store to post on social media to promote our shop. Brett produces in-store voice overs, informing customers of in-store promotions, how to spot signs of cancer, and other Cancer Research UK updates.’’ 

‘‘Wendy has volunteered at the Bristol Bishopston Shop for 11 years. She’s a great ambassador for Cancer Research UK and always encourages customers to come and join our team. If Wendy isn’t recruiting for new volunteers, she’s opening the shop at the beginning of the day and closing the shop at end of day. Wendy is always willing to volunteer additional days if needed. She’s a massive support to all staff and volunteers and always has time to listen and offer any help she can. Everyone needs a Wendy in their life!’’ 

‘‘Lyn has volunteered at the West Wickham Shop for five years, and in that time she has made a huge impact. She’s able to to turn her hand to anything! When she is on the till she engages with the customers and delivers outstanding customer service. She also works exceptionally hard in the sorting room. Lyn works at great speed and can process a whole days quota of clothes in just a morning. Whatever task she takes on, she carries it out with great enthusiasm. She is such an inspirational volunteer.’’ 

‘‘If you look up the word inspirational in the dictionary, you will find the name Gower Tan. In memory of his father, Gower made it his mission over the last decade to do as much as he can to raise vital funds to support our life-saving research, and campaign as a Cancer Campaigns Ambassador for change. From bungee jumps to 100 mile treks to the eight marathons in between, Gower’s passion for challenge really is nothing short of extraordinary. Having raised over £40,000 for Cancer Research UK, Gower’s mission to fundraise just keeps going. His determination with everything he puts his mind to is exceptional.’’ 

‘‘Alayna was diagnosed with rare bone cancer Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2012. After months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Alayna helped raise awareness by starring in the Give Up Clothes For Good campaign, appearing on posters in all TK Maxx and Cancer Research UK shops. Alayna’s teenage years may have been dominated by cancer treatment, but her spirit and desire to help others through sharing her story have shone through. She’s an amazing young volunteer who has made an incredible impact. Through campaigns including Stand Up To Cancer, Give Up Clothes for Good and the Brand Response campaign, it’s impossible to overstate Alayna’s contribution.’’ 

‘‘A mum of six, with a successful career, Jill’s drive and commitment to supporting Cancer Research UK has never flagged.  Jill began volunteering for our National Events Committee in 2010, chairing the Carol Concert Committee in 2012 and 2015, and organising a further concert in 2017. Together with other fundraising events and initiatives, Jill has raised an incredible £1.79m since 2012.  Her indefatigable energy towards our goal of beating cancer sooner has made her one of our strongest and most trusted advocates, who routinely goes above and beyond to make a difference for all those affected by cancer.’’ 

‘‘In 2021, Tesco celebrates 20 years of their partnership with Cancer Research UK's Race for Life, which has seen more than 390,000 Tesco colleagues take part. Tesco also introduced the annual national fundraiser Tesco Turns Pink, where over a weekend stores turn pink and raise awareness of Race for Life. In total, Tesco Turns Pink raised over £500,000 this year. Even though Race for Life events were postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19, Tesco was still as supportive as ever, launching the September Appeal which helped raise £1million for Cancer Research UK. To date, Tesco has raised over £60million - a phenomenal amount towards life-saving cancer research.’’