Press releases

November 22, 2004

RUN THE LONDON MARATHON FOR THE ROY CASTLE LUNG CANCER FOUNDATION

Runners have only three months of training left before the next London Marathon – but for someone with lung cancer, that could be a lifetime.

Entries for the 2005 Flora London Marathon have now been fully allocated, but dedicated runners can still get a place via The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

It is now 10 years since the much loved entertainer Roy Castle OBE died from lung cancer, and the legacy that he left behind is a Foundation and research centre dedicated to defeating the disease that took his life, while supporting those affected by lung cancer. Potential marathon runners can support Roy ’s dream of eradicating lung cancer by raising much-needed funds for his charity.

Guaranteed gold bond places for the Flora London Marathon 2005 are available by pledging to raise £1000 for The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. Accepted athletes will receive a fundraising pack, a free running vest, and help to publicise their efforts. Or alternatively, you may be lucky enough to get your own place in the general ballot – we’d love to hear from you too!

The Flora London Marathon takes place on Sunday, April 17, 2005 and you could be running alongside famous sportsmen and women, soap stars, politicians, and TV chefs, as well as thousands of other runners raising money for their chosen charities.

Forty thousand new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK . With an average life expectancy of just four months, only five per cent will survive beyond five years.

For further information, please contact Liz Legge on 0151 794 8800 or find out more via the website www.roycastle.org

Notes to Editors:

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the world wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer – the biggest cancer killer in the UK . Our approach benefits current and future lung cancer sufferers alike:-

* We fund research programmes to detect lung cancer at a very early stage, which is vital to the development of a future therapy.

* We offer Patient Support, Advocacy and an Information Network offering information, guidance and support relevant to the needs of lung cancer patients and their families.

* We facilitate Support Groups across the UK that assist sufferers to come to terms with the disease and provide patient advocacy services.

* We operate ‘Quit Smoking’ services for adults (Fag Ends) and our KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) educational programme that encourages young people never to start.

* We run fundraising events and charity shops, both of which help to generate much needed voluntary donations (public and corporate) on which we rely.