Slimming World’s sponsorship of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life smashes fundraising goals
Slimming World members, Consultants and staff have raised an amazing £949,567 for Cancer Research UK (CRUK) through Race for Life 2023.
Slimming World sponsored Race for Life for the first time this year, and encouraged its Consultants, and members, from its thousands of community weight loss groups across the UK, and head office staff to get involved with local events to raise money for CRUK while increasing their own activity levels.
Elise Wells, Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy at Slimming World says: “Race for Life is such an exciting series of events and the positive reaction from our members, Consultants and colleagues has been amazing to see. Cancer Research UK is a charity close to so many people’s hearts so there’s always an eagerness to get involved and raise money for such an important cause.
We saw people flying the Slimming World flag at every single Race for Life event this summer and we couldn’t be prouder of that passion and enthusiasm – and the way it’s translated into such an amazing fundraising total is nothing short of incredible.
Each year, Cancer Research UK holds Race for Life, a series of events all over the country which encourage participants to walk, jog or run the course and raise funds for the charity. The events include 3km, 5km race and 10km distances, Pretty Muddy, and Pretty Muddy Kids. This year’s Race for Life events took place from 30 April to 30 July and were held in local parks and other public spaces across the UK.
Elise continues: “Our physical activity support programme, Body Magic, encourages members to gradually increase their activity and fitness levels at a pace that suits them. Every year we run a fundraiser that gives our community the chance to get sponsored for achieving their activity goals. Race for Life has been a great motivator and has given members, Consultants and staff a powerful objective to work towards, whether they’ve chosen to walk 3k or run 10k – all while raising vital funds. In fact, this year we’ve raised more than ever before. We are proud to have been supporting Cancer Research UK for the last decade and look forward to future fundraisers and awareness campaigns.”
Since 2013, Slimming World has been supporting Cancer Research UK and in this time, they have worked together on a variety of events, such as the annual Big Slimming World Clothes Throw, where Slimming World members donate their clothes that they’ve slimmed out of for CRUK to sell in their local high street shops. This decade-long support has raised over £19m for CRUK and has also raised awareness that maintaining a healthy weight improves health and can reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer.
Gareth Mulcahy, head of events and sport at Cancer Research UK said: “We are grateful to all the Slimming World supporters who took part in Race for Life this year. Race for Life is often about a personal challenge, but it can also be a way of connecting to others and coming together to show support for a cause which touches so many lives. The generosity and commitment of everyone at Slimming World raised an incredible sum. This will help to fund life-saving research that brings us closer to a future free from the fear of cancer.
We’ve seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years. This is thanks to the continued efforts of supporters and fundraisers across the country. Everyone has a reason to Race for Life. Whether you race for family, friends, colleagues, future generations, or yourself, absolutely everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you at next year’s event series!