Two thousand race for life

7:40am Monday 25th June 2007

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Two thousand women braved the rain - and traffic queues - to join the Race for Life at Heythrop Park to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Runners were forced to set off almost half an hour late as traffic built up on the long drive approaching the stately home, near Chipping Norton, yesterday.

But race organiser Rosannah Dawood said runners were in "amazingly high spirits".

She said: "Nobody has complained because it's such a great cause."

Ms Dawood said she expected the 5km race to raise about £154,000 for the charity.

Many of the runners were taking part because they had lost loved ones to cancer or they were supporting friends with the disease.

Julie Thompson, 52, from Hook Norton, was running for Barbara Henderson, her friend's mother, who is receiving treatment for cancer.

She was running with Tracy Knight, 35, from Bodicote, near Banbury, and other women from Banbury-based Bibby Financial Services.

Mrs Knight added: "I'm running in memory of my gran who died 20 years ago from breast cancer. We are hoping to raise £1,000 and, for every penny we raise, the firm has promised to double it."

Amanda Barnard, 35, was running with her daughter Sian, sister Rebecca Jarvis, and mum Angela Jarvis in memory of her grandmother Florina Lines, who died aged 60 in 1987.

They all wore T-shirts with a picture of Mrs Lines on the back and Ms Barnard said: "Every penny raised for research is a good thing because it helps with the search for improving the treatment of cancer.

"I hope I'm wrong but one day it could be one of us needing treatment."

Nicki Gambrell, 43, who lives near Bicester, was running the race for the fourth time with her friends and family.

She said: "One of our friends has been plagued with cancer over the years and my grandmother, Eira Gold, died from cancer in 1976 when she was 65.

"We don't mind running in the rain - it's such a good cause."

Earlier this month, more than 6,000 women ran through Oxford's University Parks to raise £641,000.