ILKLEY shoppers had the chance to find out about Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life as the charity visited the town’s Tesco last week.

A team of volunteers and events managers were promoting the local Race for Life event at East Holmes Field which takes place on Saturday, June 11.

They were encouraging passing mums, daughters, sisters and friends to sign up and help make a real difference in the fight against cancer.

The team were also be on hand to answer questions about fundraising and the impressive strides Cancer Research UK scientists are making to treat, diagnose and prevent cancer.

Race for Life’s Ilkley event manager Katie Mathers said: “Life-saving research is being funded right now thanks to the women of Ilkley running, jogging or walking at Race for Life.

“Our participants play a crucial role in helping to turn discoveries made in the lab into better treatments for patients in West Yorkshire and across the UK. We hope that passing shoppers will be inspired to join the fight and sign up to take part in Race for Life.”

Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is an inspiring women-only series of 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy, Marathon and Hiking events which raises millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer sooner by funding vital research.

Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work relies on the public’s support. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity was able to spend nearly £4 million last year in Yorkshire on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research - helping more men, women and children survive.

Katie said: “By taking part in Race for Life, women in Ilkley can help raise funds for crucial research.

“Participants can choose to walk, jog or run around the course. Whether they’re planning a 5k amble with friends, a 10k sprint or a mud-splattered dash around the Pretty Muddy obstacle course, it’s not about being first over the finish line - it’s the taking part that counts.”

One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before. Survival rates have doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

Katie continued: “Every day, 80 people are diagnosed with cancer in Yorkshire & the Humber. That’s why we need women in Ilkley to come together and sign up to Race for Life. Every step participants take will help to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”

To enter Race for Life visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.