Cancer charity axes Greater Manchester event - because it only raised £600,000
2:17pm Tuesday 8th January 2013 in News
A cancer charity has axed a fundraising walk even though last year's event raised £600,000.
Dozens of people from Bolton took part in the night-time marathon Shine which took place at Old Trafford to raise cash for Cancer Research UK.
Among them was five-year-old brave cancer battler Kiera Bannister, of Albany Fold, Westhoughton, who was chosen to kick off the publicity for the event. The Gates Primary School pupil was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumour.
But the sum of money made was dwarfed by the £2.6 million generated by an identical event in London, leading organisers to switch their attention south.
An announcement on the Cancer Research UK website said the Manchester events had raised £3 million over the past three years but that it had reviewed Shine "with a view to agreeing the best format for the coming years."
"As a result," the statement continued, "we have taken the tough decision to retire our Shine event in Manchester.
"We realise this may be disappointing to people in Manchester who have supported Shine for the last three years. Shine is our newest mass participation event and we owe it to our supporters to raise money in the most cost effective way possible so that we ensure we focus on providing the maximum amount of funds towards our vital life saving research.
"This is why, for 2013, we will be consolidating our effort into one big event in London, which we hope will attract people from all over the UK, including Manchester. We hope our supporters in Manchester and the North West will understand why we have taken this decision."
The move has been criticised, with some suggesting people support local charities instead.
Bolton News reader Jean Rostron wrote on Facebook: "Sorry - people from the area will not travel to London. It would cost too much. Think you will find people feel they shouldnt support the charity now. It's an insult."
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