Ladies Day brings £40,000 boost for breast cancer research
Published On Mon 16 Jun 2014 by Grant Hill
Pic shows (l-r) Niamh O’Shea (Breakthrough Breast Cancer), Stewart Cuthbertson (Scottish & Southern Energy), Claire McDiarmid (St John’s Shopping Centre), Dr Sarah Vinnicombe (University of Dundee), Tracey Quin (Perth Racecourse) and Graham Ferguson (Timothy Hardie Jewellers).
Visitors to Perth Racecourses’ recent ladies day and local businesses have helped to give a £40,000 boost to breast cancer research at the University of Dundee.
The Racecourse donated a percentage of ticket sales and sponsorship to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, while collections, raffles, auctions and other initiatives contributed to the day’s fundraising total of £20,612. This figure has been matched by an anonymous donor, meaning an amazing £41,224 has been raised for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Dundee Research Programme.
The programme is looking at whether it is possible to predict the effectiveness of pre-surgical chemotherapy, which, until now, has been impossible. Through using new high-powered imaging techniques combined with laboratory studies, which are unique to Ninewells Hospital and the University, the research team aim to reduce the amount of surgery that patients with breast cancer require.
Dr Sarah Vinnicombe, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Cancer Imaging, accepted a cheque for the first £20,612 today, saying, “We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed so generously to this fundraising drive.
“The money raised will be going to our programme funded by Breakthrough trying to determine what it is about tumours and the tissues surrounding them that tell us whether or not they will respond to chemotherapy. We are looking to see if we can predict the likelihood that a cancer will respond through high resolution imaging of the tissues surrounding a cancer, combined with detailed molecular examination of these tissues in the lab.
“This is an ambitious study and really important, as being able to identify whether a particular treatment will work is obviously better for the patient and her doctor, who can then make informed decisions about treatment choices.”
Breakthrough Breast Cancer is the UK’s leading breast cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through improving early diagnosis, developing new treatments and preventing all types of the disease. The charity funds 25% of the breast cancer research in the UK, campaigns to ensure survival rates are among the best in the world and educates women to recognise the signs and symptoms of the disease.
The charity's vision is a world freed from breast cancer, currently the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Scotland, affecting over 4,500 women every year and killing 1,000 each year.
The Ladies Day fundraising was supported by Scottish & Southern Energy, St John’s Shopping Centre, Timothy Hardie Jewellers, and Mac and Posh Clothing. Tracey Quin, Sales & Marketing Manager at Perth Racecourse, said the support from businesses and reace-goers alike was phenomenal.
“Last year we raised £10,000 for Breakthrough breast Cancer during Ladies Day and we wanted to exceed that total this year but never dreamed we would double it,” she said. “Cancer is something that affects everyone and so our visitors really bought into the initiative and gave absolutely phenomenal support.”
Niamh O’Shea, of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said, “We truly value our partnership with Perth Racecourse and every penny raised will go to our Dundee research programme, which aims to reduce the amount of surgery women with breast cancer require. This already incredible sum has been matched by the generosity of an anonymous donor and I can’t thank everyone enough.”
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