Park turns pink as thousands join Race for Life
[gallery] Thousands of women and girls turned Telford Town Park into a sea of pink to raise thousands of pounds for cancer research.
This year's Race for Life took place in glorious sunshine as more than 2,000 women of all ages and fitness levels tackled the 5km (3 mile) course around the town park pathways.
Four-year-old Georgia Bowyer, from Donnington, who is battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), got to start the race by sounding a horn after all the participants had been put through a pre-race warm-up.
They ran, jogged or walked the course through the picturesque 450 acres of the park.
Event manager Emily Thompson said Georgia had loved being in the spotlight.
She said: "Georgia's mum Sharon spoke to the participants before the start to tell Georgia's story and how she is getting on then Georgia actually started the event herself.
"They had about 20 people taking part for Georgia. She loved it.
"It went really well – there was a great atmosphere and the weather was kind to us.
"There were about 2,000 people taking part and I think we had about 1,000 spectators.
"There are over 200 cancers and we won't give up until we find cures for them all. It's fighting talk and we mean every word we say."
She said the charity hoped to raise about £125,000 from the Telford event, although the final total would not be known until all the money was collected.
Emma Whitehouse, from Hadley, was accompanied on the route by her five-year-old daughter Daisy and her friend's daughter Ellie Rudolph-Thomas, aged nine.
She said: "We were Team Chicks because we had little ones with us. It was really lovely, with a good atmosphere.
"It was really nice because everyone there was doing it for the same purpose.
"Ellie ran quite a bit of it but my little one was a bit tired because she's never done it before. Haribo kept her going though!"
Ms Whitehouse, who was running with a large group of friends, said she was running in memory of a close family member. She said the final amount raised by the team was not known yet. Sharon Bowyer, Georgia's mum, said: "Taking part in Race for Life is our way of fighting back against cancer.
"I'm so grateful for the research that has helped Georgia and now I want to help others by supporting Cancer Research UK's work."
Georgia was diagnosed with ALL in July 2011 and was so ill during her chemotherapy that she spent more than 100 nights in hospital with repeated infections.
Her parents, Sharon and Steve, first noticed something was wrong when the toddler developed unexplained bruising and a red rash appeared on her leg.
Their eldest child Charlie has type 1 diabetes and needs constant monitoring, with insulin and up to 12 finger pricks daily, and Sharon had just discovered she was eight weeks pregnant when Georgia was diagnosed.
While Georgia was undergoing treatment, Sharon, club secretary at AFC Telford United, gave birth to Molly, in the maternity unit next door at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The couple have been told that Molly is a perfect blood match for Georgia, and her umbilical cord was kept in case Georgia needed stem cell treatment in the future – a lifeline that has only been made possible through the continuous trials and studies done by Cancer Research.
Georgia will continue to receive maintenance therapy until February, but she is well and her hair is growing back. She attends St Matthews pre-school in Donnington where she loves dancing and dressing up.
The Race for Life, backed by Tesco and Heart FM, raises hundreds of thousands of pounds for Cancer Research from events across the country. Those who take part are encouraged to pin a note to their back saying who they are running for.
The next event is at 11am at Shrewsbury County Showground on Sunday June 30. Entry costs £14.99 for 16s and over and £10 for six to 15s.
