Walking through Leeds to raise funds to fight cancer

Friday nights: a time to meet friends for dinner, catch up with some reading and unwind from work?

Usually the start of the weekend marks a chance for some downtime. Yet it’s all change for me in a little over three weeks’ time, as I’ll be putting on my trainers and joining my colleagues at Better Connect in the Leeds Shine Night Walk to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Where I’ll be walking and who I’ll be joining

The Shine Night Walk is a 10km route around central Leeds. On Friday 21st October 2022, we’ll be putting on our walking boots and trainers and following a planned route around the city, starting and finishing at Millennium Square.

The aim is to challenge ourselves: a six-mile plus walk in the dark is no easy task! Yet the walk is designed to be accessible, inclusive and a fun way to change lives – all values that sit perfectly with what Better Connect is all about.

Better Connect is a non-profit organisation. Since 2007, they’ve been working with a wide range of partners in local communities to lead projects that help people transform their lives and thrive, both at home and at work. They’re particularly focussed on supporting organisations in the social enterprise, community and voluntary sectors, sharing their stories to make sure people feel included, listened to and represented.

How you can help and make a real difference

Every single one of us has been hit by devasting impact of cancer on our lives and those of our loved ones. Many of the Better Connect team have bravely shared their stories about their individual experiences on their Just Giving pages. You can read why raising funds for Cancer Research matters so much to them here.

For me, one of the biggest reasons for taking part is for my best friend, Gillian. I’ve always been open about my personal experiences, and Gillian is a huge part of my life. Over ten years ago, Gillian survived cancer and I am immensely grateful every day that we are able to continue to have as much fun together as we can.

Why I’m walking with Better Connect

As I help Better Connect gather support for our Shine Night Walk, I’d like to thank them publicly for their support for me. They became a client of mine in 2018, but I loved the team and their ethos so much I became a part-time employee in 2020.

This role sits perfectly alongside my work with my Not Just an FD clients, supported by Better Connect’s company values, the way they champion me and my work and the general kindness of their brilliant team. I’m so lucky to work with some excellent people who share so many of my values. One of those is ‘collaboration’, so if you’d like to join us on the Leeds Shine Night Walk or show your support for Cancer Research UK, you can donate any amount to help all of us to take on the challenge. No matter who you sponsor, each and every penny goes to the same shared cause: fighting cancer across the UK.

Thank you.

Click here to donate to support Team Better Connect on our Shine Night Walk as we raise funds for Cancer Research UK.