LESS than half the money expected to be raised by this year’s Race for Life in Oxford has been paid over to the organisers so far.

And Oxford scientist Professor Nicola Stoner is urging women who took part to make one last dash for cash.

Professor Stoner, 43, who lives near Wantage, works on groundbreaking gene therapy for Cancer Research UK at the Churchill Hospital, in Headington.

On June 5, she and her daughter Amy, 14, joined 7,500 other women running the five-kilometre course around the city’s University Parks.

But while the three races held that weekend should bring in about £470,000 to help fund cancer research projects in Oxford and elsewhere in the UK, only £197,962 has been received by Cancer Research UK, which organised the event .

Prof Stoner said: “During the 20 years I have worked in Oxford, I have seen trial drugs become routine treatments for cancer.

“It’s fabulous that so many women took part in Race for Life, to raise even more money for research into a cure.

“Now we need to get all that money in, so it can get to work as soon as possible.”

Becky Ryczowski, Race for Life’s event manager for Oxford, said: “It was wonderful to see so many of our world-class scientists taking part this year.

“Thanks to scientists like Nicola Stoner, more people are beating cancer than ever before.

“Ten-year survival rates have doubled over the past 30 years and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.”

She added: “So far we have collected a great deal of money from the Oxford races, but there’s much more to come.

“We would urge people to get their sponsorship money in as soon as possible, so all the great research being done in the county can continue.”

For information on how to pay over sponsorship money, see the Race for Life wesbite