People whose lives have been affected by cancer can now take part in a monthly run event to help their physical and emotional wellbeing.
It’s called 5K Your Way and the first one will be in Greenhead Park this Saturday, September 30, at 9am and then on the last Saturday of each month.
Several organisations have come together with funding to make it happen including the Ella Dawson Foundation in Huddersfield, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust’s Cancer Prehabilitation Team, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Charity and Third Sector Leaders’ Supporting Communities Fund which supports charities, voluntary and community groups throughout Kirklees.
They have organised it with the national Move Against Cancer charity which first launched 5K Your Way in 2018 and now has almost 90 5K Your Way groups throughout the UK and Ireland.
The monthly park runs are not fundraisers – it’s all about people getting out, having some exercise and meeting others who have been through similar traumas.
The aim is to encourage those now living with cancer or have survived it, families, friends, those who have lost a loved one to cancer and people working in cancer services to walk, jog, run, cheer or volunteer. People can do as little or as much as they want on the day.
Local 5K Your Way ambassadors (from left) Helen Greenwood, Nicky Hill, Jacqui Burgess and Uschi Hofmann.
The Move Charity (www.movecharity.org) was founded in 2016 by international athlete Gemma Hillier Moses to provide people with the support that she never received when she was diagnosed with cancer aged 24. Gemma is a huge advocate for keeping moving when living with and beyond cancer.
Physical activity through and beyond a cancer diagnosis can help to reduce treatment related fatigue, help preserve cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, may reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and can help to prevent recurrence.
It can also help to improve psychological and emotional well-being and is a fun and great way to meet people.
5K Your Way operations manager Georgie Freeman said: “At 5k Your Way we encourage people to focus on what they can do. We want to give people the confidence to go out and be physically active.
“Over the years we have seen the huge impact 5K Your Way has on physical and mental health as well as building a wonderful, supportive and inspiring community in each group.
“We’ve had great funding support from local partner organisations and have an enthusiastic team of ambassadors and supporters to guide people around the 5K Your Way routes.”
The Ella Dawson Foundation (www.elladawsonfoundation.org.uk) was established in February 2022 in memory of Ella, a 24-year-old artist from Slaithwaite who believed passionately in the power of physical, emotional and wellbeing interventions through and beyond a cancer diagnosis.
When Ella died in July 2021 her family acted on her wish to see other young cancer patients supported and launched the foundation offering physical, psychological, nutritional and wellbeing help for young people during their treatment and for up to two years afterwards.
The Huddersfield ambassadors are Ella’s parents Jane and Kevin Dawson and her sister Tasha, Dinah Coggon, Rebecca Mallinson, Anne-Marie Keen, Carolyn Rowlands and Nadia Sethi.
5K Your Way is launched in Huddersfield on Saturday, September 30 in Greenhead Park with an 8.45am meet for a 9am start and then on the last Saturday of each month.
To register www.5Kyourway.org/register or email huddersfieldgroup@5KYourway.org
A similar run event has been set up in Halifax which will also start this Saturday, September 30, at 8.45am for a 9am start at Shroggs Park, Lee Mount Road, Halifax. HX3 5BX.
Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting.
