NORTH WEST men, women and children are being urged to unite with some of the brightest stars from TV, film and radio and Stand Up To Cancer this Friday, October 26.

 

Celebrities including Davina McCall, Alan Carr, Adam Hills, Joel Dommett and Kirstie Allsopp are backing Stand Up To Cancer, a joint fundraising campaign from Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

 

Stand Up To Cancer aims to speed up the translation of brilliant scientific discoveries to help get new, better, kinder tests and treatments to cancer patients, faster. 

 

People in the North West can tune in and donate while watching a line-up of celebrity packed programming as stars from the worlds of entertainment; music and sport send themselves up, doing their bit in the fight against cancer.

 

There are also a variety of fundraising activities happening around the North West including collections at Liverpool One shopping centre, Macclesfield Train Station and in Cheadle Town Centre between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 27 October.

 

North West Stand Up To Cancer Gigathon which sees a variety of bands playing live music across Manchester and the North West to raise funds for Stand Up To Cancer. You can catch Gigathon in Manchester on Wednesday 24 October and Thursday 25 October from 7.00pm at The Whiskey Jar in the Northern Quarter and on Friday 26 October watch live music and the live show at the Old Monkey Pub, in Portland Street, from 6.30pm. Tickets are £5 on the door or in advance via Skiddle.

 

There will also be live music for Gigathon in Morecambe (Friday 26 October at Strathmore Hotel), Southport (2 November Fleetwood Hesketh), Ormskirk (24 November, the Civic Hall) and Preston (23 November Lostock Conservative Club near Preston).

 

There will be a Halloween Spooktacular at Heaton Park on Saturday 27 and 28 October 12pm-4pm including a hunt for the cursed stones, pumpkin carving, biscuit decorating, tombola and arts and crafts with a Spooky Walk at 4pm on Sunday 28 October. Just turn up on the day for activities or to register for the Spooky Walk visit Eventbrite.  

 

Customers can donate at all Cancer Research UK shops and there will be a raffle drawn at the Cancer Research UK’s Workington shop in Cumbria on Saturday 27 October by the town’s MP.

 

And people can organise their own fundraising events like wear orange day, bake sales and more with information about how to get involved available by visiting: standuptocancer.org.uk

 

The Stand Up To Cancer live extravaganza returns this Friday night, heaving at the seams with flocks of famous faces, celebrity packed sketches and tear-jerking moments; all banging the Stand Up To Cancer drum.

 

Local people can show their support for the campaign in style as a fun range of clothing and accessories for men, women and children is available online and at Cancer Research UK shops.

 

Exclusive Stand Up To Cancer virtual reality headsets are also available from WHSmith for a suggested donation of £2. With Olivia Colman and Stephen Fry as their personal guides, supporters can take a walk through Stand Up To Cancer’s incredible virtual worlds in full 360°, exploring ground-breaking science, walking with dinosaurs or meeting Stand Up To Cancer’s celebrity supporters including Danny Dyer, Kimberly Wyatt, Alexa Chung and more at the Celeb Hotel. 

 

Alison Barbuti, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North West, said: “The good news is more people are surviving than ever before, but too many lives are still cut short by this devastating disease. That’s why we need everyone in the North West to stand up and help take cancer out.

 

“Every day our scientists and researchers are working tirelessly to beat the disease. But research in the lab alone won’t get us there. We need to raise some serious cancer-crushing cash to speed up breakthroughs from the petri dish into better treatments for patients.

 

She continued: “By supporting Stand Up To Cancer people in the North West could help to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. The more people that join the fight now, the sooner we can beat cancer for everyone.”

 

Stand Up To Cancer has raised £38 million since it was launched in the UK in 2012 including funding for research in the North West in Manchester and Liverpool. The funding is used for clinical trials and projects which accelerate the development of new cancer treatments and tests, to help patients and ultimately save more lives.

 

This year, Stand Up To Cancer will culminate with a night of live TV on Channel 4, on Friday, October 26.

 

There is still time to get involved, visit standuptocancer.org.uk