People are being invited to kick start the New Year by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Norwich and King’s Lynn.
The charity’s much-loved events are returning to Norfolk and anyone who joins this January can claim 50 per cent off the entry fee, as part of a half-price sale, by using the code RFL23NY*.
This is the 30th year of Race for Life and participants will receive a special medal to mark the milestone.
Every year around 36,600 people are diagnosed with cancer in the East of England**. Money raised at Race for Life enables scientists to
The Race for Life events in Norwich take place at Norfolk Showground across Saturday, 13 May and Sunday, 14 May. Women, men and children can choose from 3k, 5k and 10k options on the Sunday, or there are mud-splattered obstacle courses, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids, to tackle on the Saturday.
Race for Life King’s Lynn will be at Houghton Hall on Tuesday, 27 June. There will be 3k and 5k distances.
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Standard Life, is the UK’s largest charity mass participation event. Since it began in 1994 around 10m people have taken part, raising over £920m to help fund cutting-edge research into cancer.
Michael Jarvis, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson in the East of England, said: “January is the perfect time to commit to getting a little more active. “We’d love as many people as possible across Norfolk to join us during our 30th year of Race for Life. Race for Life is a powerful way to celebrate and remember loved ones affected by cancer and to raise money for pioneering research. Whether people are living with cancer, taking part in honour of or in memory of a loved one with cancer, or signing up to protect their own children’s future, everyone has a reason to Race for Life. Sadly, 1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime***, but support through events like Race for Life funds ground-breaking work to see more people surviving cancer. For some Race for Life is literally a walk in the park – slow and steady still wins. For others it’s a jog. Others may opt to push themselves harder and take part in the 10k distance. But what is certain is we’re looking forward to welcoming people of all ages and abilities.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Standard Life, raises funds for world-class research to help beat 200 types of cancer, including bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children’s cancers and leukaemia.
Andy Curran, chief executive of Standard Life, said: “We’re extremely proud to have been chosen as the headline sponsor of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. "This sponsorship will help encourage participation and raise funds for life-saving research to help beat cancer.”
To enter visit raceforlife.org
* The Race for Life half-price sale runs between Tuesday, 27 December and Tuesday, 31 January, 2023.
** Based on the average annual number of new cases of all cancers combined excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD10 C00-C97 excluding C44) diagnosed in the East of England region of England between 2017 and 2019.
Source: NCRAS (part of NHS Digital) Cancer registration statistics, England, 2019.
***Based on Ahmad AS, Ormiston-Smith N, Sasieni PD. Trends in the lifetime risk of developing cancer in Great Britain: Comparison of risk for those born in 1930 to 1960(link is external). Br J Cancer 2015;bjc.2014:606.
New electric car charging points have become available to residents to use in King’s Lynn and Hunstanton.
The charging points based in five locations across west Norfolk have opened, ensuring that people with limited access to off-street parking can still choose an electric vehicle.
Mayor of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, Cllr Lesley Bambridge, was joined by Cabinet member for Environment and CO2 reduction, Cllr Paul Kunes to visit several of the new points and used them to charge their electric vehicles.
The Mayor said: “I’m regularly driven to functions around the borough in the hybrid Mayoral car. This car is more economical and environmentally friendly. Many journeys are short enough to be completed on electric power only.
Norfolk based discount retailer QD Group, has donated hundreds of chocolates and chocolate bars to the Social Supermarket run by Norwich social enterprise The Feed.
The Feed originally opened its social supermarket on Hall Road, Norwich, in the summer to provide food to people who were struggling to afford it. The supermarket offers a wide range of affordable groceries to help people eat well despite the increasing cost of living. It works with local food producers and suppliers to provide products at a lower cost than many other supermarkets. With Christmas just around the corner, QD has donated kilos and kilos of chocolate goodies for the supermarket to help ensure that everyone can enjoy a special treat during the festive season.
Andrea Auburn, Social Supermarket hub manager, said: “A big thank you to QD who donated a mountain of chocolate to The Feed’s Social Supermarket. Donations like these provide a much-needed treat for families at a time when money is tighter than ever. It’s lovely to see parents get advent calendars for their children, for instance, when grocery shopping could otherwise be a real source of stress right now.”
The switch on for the King’s Lynn Christmas lights was a huge success once again as hundreds turned out for this special annual event on Sunday.
The lights were switched on by a group of Ukrainian families who have sought refuge in west Norfolk this year, with their sponsors.
The children of the families also sang some traditional Ukrainian carols to entertain the crowd.
Mayor of King’s Lynn and west Norfolk, Cllr Lesley Bambridge, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people in good cheer at the Christmas lights switch on in King’s Lynn, which is always a special event in the local calendar.
St Martins Housing Trust has been given Honorary Freedom of the City of Norwich, following more than 50 years’ service and support to people facing homelessness. The honour was awarded by Norwich City Council at a special meeting of council.
After starting out in a garage shed in the Cathedral Close half a century ago, St Martins has grown into an established charity which provides not only hundreds of beds and homes to those in need, but delivers education, training, psychological intervention and partnership work with other city organisations.
St Martins is now a key partner in delivering Norwich City Council’s rough sleeping strategy, which seeks to break the cycle of homelessness through prevention, intervention, recovery and systemic support.
Local charity Alive UK, which aims to provide emergency support for people in crisis in Norfolk, has launched a gifts and treats appeal to give local children and parents a gift this Christmas.
The charity is asking people who would like to support the appeal to donate an unwrapped new gift, toy or chocolate treat, such as selection boxes, at a collection point by the sleigh on the lower ground floor of Chantry Place before Friday 16th December 2022. It is also looking for donations of wrapping paper.
The charity will deliver the unwrapped gifts and wrapping paper to the parents of children, so that they can enjoy wrapping the gifts themselves to give to their children. They will be given to families in desperate need in Norfolk.