H&F "night hikers" raise funds for H&F Cancer Centre - sponsor them!

Maggie's Centre, Charing Cross Hospital

A blog reader, Laura, writes in to tell me about a "night hike" she and others are doing to raise funds for Maggie's Cancer Centre, which is based at Charing Cross Hospital. They will be covering 20 miles - at night - across London on foot to raise funds for this centre which relies on efforts like this.

The new Centre at Charing Cross Hospital in London is open to anyone affected by cancer in the capital. It is, according to their website, an uplifting, non-institutional space where people with cancer, their family and friends can access the support they need. Opening the Centre in 2008 Sarah Brown said:

“The opening of Maggie’s in London will provide a fantastic service for anyone diagnosed with cancer in the capital. These world-class designed Centres have offered professional support and information for people in Scotland and it is a tribute to this success that they have been invited to London and other locations in England and Wales”

Here's what Laura, the night hiker, is prepared to do to support it - surely worthy of a trip to her online donations page:

This coming Friday 16^th September I will be joining a team of 7 friends and mums to take part in a 20 mile Night Hike across London in aid of Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres. The route starts at 8.15pm at Leadenhall Market and crosses London Bridge, passing Waterloo to cross Westminster Bridge, past Victoria, Hyde Park, Fulham and Hammersmith to loop back through Notting Hill and Holland Park to Oxford Street, via Charing Cross and Holborn and ending at St Pauls, sometime after 5am on Saturday. Anyone who has seen me take a ‘rest break’ halfway around Westfield, or heard my proposal for a travellator across Hyde Park will know that these types of event are not usually my style. Indeed, over the past few years I have watched many friends run marathons, jump out of planes and bathe in baked beans with the smug satisfaction that this kind of crazy event would never happen to me. And yet…

Maggie’s Centres are a cause that is close to my heart. The Centres are for anyone affected by cancer, and are places where people are welcome whenever they support – from just being diagnosed, or undergoing treatment, to post-treatment, recurrence, end of life or in bereavement. The centres also welcome family and friends, as they are often deeply affected by cancer too. Everything the centres provide is free of charge, so visitors can feel welcome to access support for as long as they need it. Maggie’s relies hugely on the Night Hike to raise funds to support their network of cancer centres across the UK. In 2010 Night Hikers raised over £700,000, an incredible amount and enough to fund two Maggie’s Centres for a year.

I know that some of you will receive many requests for sponsorship and fundraising during the year, but I’m hoping that one more time I can ask for your generosity to support this cause. Few people will have been untouched by cancer in some way during their lives and many will have relied on the charitable services provided by organisations like Maggie’s. My fundraising target is £300, but thanks to the fantastic generosity of Henderson, who have offered to match any amount raised, I only need to hit £150 to get there. So if just 50 of you were to sacrifice your daily £3 latte (I’m sure Starbucks can take the hit!) I would make my target in no time. Your gift can also be increased by 25% if you are eligible for Gift Aid, making any donation go much further.

I’ve set up a donation page with MyDonate who give the highest amount of any fundraising page to their charities, (£12.35 from a £10 donation with Gift Aid) and has no charges for the charity itself. If you would like to sponsor me, please click here https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/lauramccullough