Bromsgrove Race for Life axed

Buy photos » There will be no Race for Life this year. Picture by Nick Hands 2410015NHR1

BROMSGROVE’S long-running annual Race for Life event has been axed as part of cutbacks to reduce the number of fund-raisers held across the UK.

Organisers of Cancer Research UK’s annual showpiece said a number of ‘smaller’ events were being scrapped in an effort to streamline costs and help raise more money for vital research in the fight against cancer.

The news is a devastating blow to the thousands of kind-hearted women from Bromsgrove and beyond who have run, jogged or walked the 5km route in Sanders Park each summer since 2003.

Entrants have raised in excess of £300,000 for Cancer Research in the past nine years at the event which had become an integral part of Bromsgrove’s summer programme.

Bromsgrovians raised a staggering £108,000 in 2005 and a further 500 places for the event were provided for the following years event as a result of the success.

More than 3,000 residents took part in the 2008 fund-raiser and a further 200 places were released for the 2010 event which surpassed all expectations and raised £121,000.

But last May’s event saw attendance numbers fall below expectations and ultimately forced organisers to take the decision to axe this year’s fund-raiser.

Tracey Duffy, Cancer Research UK event manager for the West Midlands, said: “Race for Life raises money to fund life-saving research.

“So we owe it to our participants and supporters to ensure we raise as much money as possible in the most cost-efficient way. Taking the costs of staging the event into consideration, we have had to take the difficult decision to cancel it for 2012.

“We are very grateful to our participants, and their supporters, who took part in the event last year and in the past.

“We want to express our heart-felt thanks to everyone who has taken part in Race for Life in Bromsgrove and we hope our supporters will understand the reason for this difficult decision for 2012,” she added.

Anyone who has previously took part in the Bromsgrove event is being asked to continue putting their best foot forward at fund-raising events across the West Midlands.

Race for Life events will be staged this summer at Arrow Valley Park in Redditch on May 27, Pitchcroft Racecourse in Worcester on June 24 and at Cofton Park in Longbridge on July 8.

Visit: www.raceforlife.org to find out more.