A young woman who lost her best friend to cancer is urging charity runners in the Midlands to send in their sponsorship money.
Joanne Cartwright took part in Cancer Research’s UK’s Race for Life in memory of her friend Emily Garrington-Harris who died aged just 28.
Now Joanne, from Halesowen, is helping the charity collect the sponsorship cash.
She joined Heart FM presenter Steve Denyer in unveiling a billboard at Sherlock Street in Birmingham compiled by the radio station to highlight the moving stories behind the runners.
The 48ft-high tribute features photographs of mums, dads, children and friends who died from cancer and inspired tens of thousands of Midlands women to enter the charity’s Race for Life 5k events this summer.
Joanne, a HR advisor, joined 4,500 women in doing the 5k race at the NEC and said it was the memory of Emily, also from Halesowen, which kept her going.
She said: “Emily fought cancer for five years and beat it three times. She really refused to give in and her determination and her positive nature was really an inspiration to many. I hope that seeing her face in this poster will inspire other women as well and motivate them to return their sponsorship money.”
Organisers hope the Birmingham series of Race for Lifes will raise £300,000.
One in three people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but survival rates have doubled over the last 30 years thanks to research and treatment funded by Cancer Research UK. The next Cancer Research UK event is a 10k race in Sutton Park in September.
