OUTDOOR CHALLENGES TO SUPPORT CANCER TRIALS WORK
An outdoor challenge in the spectacular surroundings of the Lake District is supporting our work thanks to The Outdoor Guide.
Gina Bradbury Fox co-founded The Outdoor Guide with her sister, television presenter Julia Bradbury in 2014. An online hub sharing free information, it helps make walking and getting outside into nature enjoyable and accessible for all.
It is no surprise then that Gina was attracted to take part in the Adventure for Life Challenge the Wild event in 2023 which included rock climbing, abseiling, raft building in Coniston and of course walking over two days.
Gina says: “We love anything that gets us outdoors so, last year, we entered an Outdoor Guide team into the Challenge the Wild event.
“This particular challenge was created especially for people who had been affected by cancer and that gave the whole two days a very powerful meaning. The entrants then raised money for their chosen causes and our team chose charities two related to cancer, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Pink Ribbon Foundation.
“I asked our family friend, Pippa, if she would join us on our team and I’m so pleased she did. It was a very special day in beautiful surroundings.”
Pippa Howarth’s Mum, Diane Howarth, owner of award-winning, luxury self-catering holiday cottages in the Yorkshire Dales has been a business partner of The Outdoor Guide for a number of years. She was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2017, which reoccurred in 2022, around the same time that Julia Bradbury was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Pippa Howarth
This unwelcome joint cancer news helped bring the two families even closer than they had been before.
Pippa, based in London, says: “When Gina invited me to take part in the Challenge the Wild event, I was delighted at the opportunity to give back to the charities that had supported my Mum during her cancer treatment.
“I chose to raise money for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation because, as part of her treatment, my Mum participated in an immunotherapy clinical trial at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Centre. As a scientist myself, I understand the huge important research can have in finding better outcomes for those affected by cancer.
“The event was both fun and challenging in equal measure. It was hugely rewarding and motivational to hear the stories of all the different cancer challenges faced by the people who took part.”
Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation in 2008 and it has gone on to raise more than £20 million to find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer within the NHS and in partnership with other leading charities and organisations.
Part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, the Foundation funds cutting-edge cancer treatment and innovative patient support services for children and adults, including the clinical trials of new drugs at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.
Emma McQuitty, fundraising coordinator at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, says: “We’re very grateful to Pippa, Gina and everyone who has supported us by getting outdoor and active in the Lake District!
“Pippa obviously has strong family reasons to want to support our work and understands the vital importance of drug trials, like those underway at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre. And we wish her Mum all the very best with her continued recovery.”
Challenge The Wild is a business partner of The Outdoor Guide and specialises in providing outdoor events that help with teambuilding and improve the physical and mental well-being of participants.
