Charitable fundraising campaign, ‘Jumping in Puddles for Cancer’ is urging more people to make a splash as the winter weather kicks in, and the team is delighted to announce that luxury hotel brand Hand Picked Hotels will be supporting the initiative as a key sponsor this year.

The campaign, which launched last January in Guernsey, invites people across the United Kingdom to don their wellies and help to raise £1,000,000 in aid of Cancer Research UK by jumping in puddles. Fundraisers are invited to jump, make a donation, upload an image onto social media and nominate friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

The initiative was inspired by Guernsey-based charity campaigner Susie Campanella, whose close friend Gary Burgess received a devastating terminal cancer diagnosis at the end of 2019. It has already received widespread support from various high-profile individuals, including renowned comedian and impressionist Jon Culshaw, actor Jake Wood, radio host Gaby Roslin, comedians Rob Beckett and Tom Allen and TV adventurer Ben Fogle. 

Susie says: “One in every two people is affected by cancer in some way or another, they are huge statistics. It breaks my heart to watch our loved ones taken too soon by such a cruel and unforgiving disease" 

“Research is the only way to eventually beat cancer and, quite simply, that needs money. Jumping in Puddles is a way to get the whole nation involved in helping to achieve what I believe is possible." 

To date, the fundraising efforts have generated over £50,000 and Susie was recently awarded the Pioneer of the Year Award at Cancer Research UK’s Flame of Hope Awards in recognition of her efforts.  

Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chair of Cancer Research UK says: “Jumping in Puddles for Cancer is a fun and easy way to support the research that will beat cancer.

“Thank you to everyone who has taken part in the campaign so far. Together, you have raised nearly £56,000 for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work. 

“The story behind Susie’s campaign is one of friendship, love, and determination to make a difference. It is about finding those moments of fun during the most difficult times. 

“It was an honour to present Susie with our Pioneer of the Year Award as part of Cancer Research UK’s Flame of Hope Awards recently, and I would be delighted to see Susie reach her £1 million fundraising goal.

“So next time it rains, why not grab your wellies and go Jumping in Puddles for Cancer!”

The campaign has gained widespread support across local communities with jumpers of every age and ability joining in the fun, from sports team and families to nurseries and big businesses.

Hand Picked Hotels will promote Jumping in Puddles across its collection of award-winning UK and Channel Islands country house and spa hotels, helping to raise vital awareness and funds to help beat cancer. In addition to hotel staff jumping and donating, they will be encouraging guests to join in while also nominating suppliers and members of the local community to make a splash for the cause. 

Susie added “I am eternally grateful to everyone who has helped so far and thrilled that Hand Picked Hotels is now supporting us – I look forward to seeing their jumps!”

Julia Hands, Chairman and CEO of Hand Picked Hotels, says: “We are delighted to be supporting Susie with her campaign and hope that our combined efforts will help to reach that million-pound mark. 

“Supporting the community is at our heart and, as a business, we know that we are in a strong position to make a genuine difference to the lives of those affected by cancer through raising awareness and helping to fund this vital research. We wish Susie the best of luck with her campaign and look forward to encouraging our team and guests to join her on this important challenge.”

For more information about Jumping in Puddles for Cancer, visit www.jumpinapuddle.co.uk/media  or email [email protected]. Also, find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Jumping in Puddles for Cancer is a viral fundraising campaign encouraging people across the UK to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

About Cancer Research UK

• Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research. 

• Cancer Research UK’s pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives. 

• Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years. 

• Today, 2 in 4 people survive their cancer for at least 10 years. Cancer Research UK’s ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, 3 in 4 people will survive their cancer for at least 10 years. 

• Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses. 

• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured. 

The impact of COVID-19 on the charity’s work:

• Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve had to reduce the amount we planned to spend on research by £121m.  Without further support, we will need to make further cuts over the next four to five years.

• Due to the impact of the pandemic on our income, we cannot afford to keep spending at the same levels.  We are reshaping our research model to reduce our research spending to £320m in 2021/22 and £300m the year after, down from c. £400m we planned to spend per year before the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Cancer Research UK, £1,000.000.00 will support the following:

• Pay for 10,000 patients’ cancer biopsies which helps with early diagnosis and greatly increase the chances for successful treatment.

• Cover the cost of running one bowel cancer clinical trial for 3,333 days. This trial is helping to find out if exercise could reduce the risk of bowel cancer returning.

• Cover the cost of running a cancer awareness roadshow for 216 days. These roadshows reach over 60,000 people every year across the UK and visit the heart of communities to help the public take steps to reduce their cancer risk. They also raise awareness of symptoms as detecting cancer at an earlier stage means treatment is more likely to be successful.

• Cover the cost of running a research group at the Beatson Institute in Glasgow for 250 days. The Beatson Institute is home to 22 research groups. It carries out a programme of cutting-edge science and houses state-of-the-art technologies to accelerate research progress. It also benefits from close interactions with the University Of Glasgow and provides outstanding training opportunities for young scientists while bringing together the international cancer research community.